Lewis & Clark Earns Victory over Willamette, 68-59

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Lewis & Clark College held Willamette University to 25.8% shooting in the second half (8 of 31), as the Pioneers defeated the Bearcats, 68-59, on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Cone Field House. L&C improved to 11-12 overall and to 5-9 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette fell to 4-16 overall, 3-11 in the NWC.

Alex Zennan (So., G/PG, Sammamish, WA/Eastlake HS) and Molly Fillion (Sr., G, Silverton, OR/Silverton HS/Linn-Benton CC) tied for WU's scoring lead with 16 points apiece. Jenny Fillion (Sr., G, Silverton, OR/Silverton HS/Linn-Benton CC) tallied 15 points for the Bearcats, while earning four steals and four rebounds.

Nicki Clowdsley (So., Post, Sammamish, WA/Skyline HS) was WU's top rebounder with eight boards. Keilyn Fujioka (So., Post, Kailua, HI/Iolani School) provided six rebounds and Molly Fillion added five.

Margaret Dowling and Christina Herring each scored 16 points for the Pioneers. Dowling also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, as L&C claimed a 40-32 team rebounding edge.

Willamette shot 47.6% from the field (10 of 21) in the first half and trailed by just four points, 32-28, at the intermission. The Bearcats limited the Pioneers to 38.7% shooting in the first period (12 of 31).

WU was unable to maintain its edge in field goals over the final 20 minutes. While the 'Cats slipped to 25.8%, L&C upped its shooting percentage to 46.2% (12 of 26) in the second half.

Even so, the Bearcats trailed by just four points, 40-36, with 15;12 remaining, after Zennan scored and added a foul shot. The Pioneers used an 8-2 run to take a 48-38 advantage and were in front 52-42 with 9:13 to go.

A 5-0 run kept WU within striking distance. Zennan completed the run by hitting a 3-point shot to pull WU within 52-47 at the 7:48 mark.

L&C countered with a 12-3 run, as the Pios moved out to 64-50 margin with 4:17 left. The run featured Dowling at the free throw line, where she converted 5 of 6 attempts. In addition Kimberly Kittell contributed a 3-pointer during the scoring surge.

Both teams committed 20 turnovers. WU made 13 in the first half and L&C had 12 in the second half. The Bearcats hit 18 of 22 free throws (81.8%) and were called for 19 fouls. The Pioneers were successful on 15 of 22 shots from the foul line (68.2%) and received 21 fouls.

Willamette will play at George Fox University on Friday, Feb. 20. Game time in Newberg, Ore., is set for 6 p.m. (PST). The Bearcats will conclude the season on Saturday, Feb. 21 against the University of Puget Sound at Cone Field House, starting at 6 p.m. (PST).