By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

TACOMA, Wash. -- Willamette University led nationally-ranked University of Puget Sound 31-21 at halftime, but the Loggers controlled the second half and defeated the Bearcats 67-45 in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Friday, Feb. 3 at Memorial Fieldhouse. Carolyn Ho (Jr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) topped the Willamette scoring chart with nine points, while Claire Bonnet (Sr., G, Boise, ID/Boise HS) and Jasmine Shigeno (Jr., G, Hockinson, WA/Hockinson HS) each added eight points.

Puget Sound improved to 17-3 on the season, while leading the NWC with a 10-1 record. The Loggers are ranked #16 in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll for NCAA Division III. Willamette fell to 12-9 overall, 7-5 in the NWC.

The Bearcats remained in fourth place in the NWC standings, one-half game in front of George Fox University (6-5). The Bruins will play at Puget Sound on Saturday, Feb. 4. Willamette, which defeated Linfield University 82-64 on Tuesday, Jan. 31, will not play again until Friday, Feb. 10 at Pacific University. The top four teams in the final regular season standings will qualify for the NWC Tournament.

In Friday's game, Megan River (Jr., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) provided the Bearcats with nine rebounds to go with five points and five assists. Sami Riggs (Sr., G, La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) tallied seven points, while earning six boards, five assists, and two blocked shots. Ho and Kaitlin Imai (Fy., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS) each recorded two steals.

Kennedy Brown paced the Loggers with 20 points, while hitting 8 of 14 field goals, including 2 of 4 on 3-pointers. She also registered five rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Samantha Swartout chipped in 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Sophie Nilsson finished with 13 points and nine boards. Katie Minnehan led Puget Sound with four steals.

Willamette surged out to a 10-4 lead just over two minutes into the first quarter on a run that featured a 3-point basket by River and a traditional three-point play from Riggs. Puget Sound soon cut the lead to 10-9 on a basket and foul shot by Swartout, but Bonnet hit a 3-pointer to give WU a four-point cushion with 6:50 left in the quarter.

The Loggers forced a 13-13 tie at the 5:26 mark before Shigeno sank a 3-point shot for the Bearcats and Ho put through a layup. Brown made a layup for PS with 48 seconds on the clock reducing the Bearcats' advantage to 18-15 entering the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Willamette outscored the Loggers 13-6 to build a 10-point halftime edge. Riggs scored the first four points of the second quarter for the Bearcats, but Puget Sound scored the next four points to pull within 22-19 on two free throws by Swartout with 6:33 remaining.

A bit later, WU held a 24-21 lead before Ho registered three consecutive baskets. She started with a 3-pointer as the clock reached 4:12, added a layup with 2:43 to play, and connected on a jump shot with 1:15 left. WU's 31-21 lead at the break included 42.9% shooting (12 of 28) by the Bearcats, compared to 24.2% shooting (8 of 33) by the Loggers.

Puget Sound sank 18 of 32 shots in the second half (56.3%) while limiting Willamette to 6 of 25 on field goals (24.0%). The Loggers put together a 14-3 run to open the second half and take a 35-34 lead. WU led 34-27 following a 3-pointer by River, but the Loggers tacked on one 3-pointer each by Grace Pytynia-Hillier and Brown, followed by a jumper from Pytynia-Hillier. PS achieved a 22-7 scoring edge in the third quarter.

Despite the Loggers' success in the third period, Puget Sound led by just a 43-38 margin as the final quarter started. The Bearcats also trailed by just five points at 45-40 after Danielle Morgan (Sr., F, Lompoc, CA/Allan Hancock HS/California Lutheran Univ.) made a layup with 8:50 left. The Loggers responded with a 9-0 run for a 54-40 lead at the 4:39 mark.

The Loggers forced Willamette into 29 turnovers during the game, including 18 in the second half. Puget Sound, which committed 12 turnovers in the first half, lost the ball just seven times over the final 20 minutes.