Lewis & Clark Downs Bearcats, 80-50, to Tie GFU for First Place

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

SALEM, ORE. -- Lewis & Clark College grabbed 43 rebounds and connected on 25 of 32 free throws, as the Pioneers defeated Willamette University, 80-50 in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 19. The win allowed Lewis & Clark to match George Fox at the top of the NWC final regular season standings at 14-2.

The win also improved the Pioneers to 20-5 on the season. L&C holds the tie-breaker over GFU and will be the top seed for the NWC Tournament. Willamette ended the year at 3-20 overall, 2-14 in the NWC.

L&C will host Whitman College in the NWC semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. (PST). George Fox will host the University of Puget Sound in the other semifinal game on Thursday.

Willamette senior guard Alex Zennan (Sammamish, WA/Eastlake HS) finished her career with 1,123 points, good for fifth place on WU's all-time scoring list. She entered the game already in fifth place.

The Pioneers took advantage of poor shooting by Willamette early in the game to score the first nine points. WU tallied its first point on a free throw by Kaileigh Westermann (Jr., F, Belfair, WA/South Kitsap HS) at the 14:58 mark and added a layup by Westermann on the next possession to cut the lead to 9-3.

Lewis & Clark scored the next 15 points to surge out to a 24-3 advantage with 8:33 left in the half. Five L&C players scored baskets during the run, including three 3-pointers.

Willamette, which connected on just one of its first 12 shots from the field, recovered to outscore the Pioneers, 16-12, over the remainder of the first half. Erin Barclay (Sr., G, Snohomish, WA/Bothell HS) scored eight points for the Bearcats to pace the run. L&C owned a 36-19 lead at the break.

L&C outscored WU 44-31 in the second half, as both teams found offensive success. The Pioneers shot 46.4% (13 of 28) from the field and converted 17 of 24 free throws (70.8%) in the final 20 minutes. The Bearcats sank 12 of 22 field goals (54.5%) in the second half, but struggled at the free throw line, as the team made just 6 of 14 shots.

Barclay topped all players with 15 points and led WU with five rebounds. She was 6 of 12 on field goals, including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers. In addition, she contributed two assists and a game-high three steals.

Westermann finished with 10 points for the Bearcats, while Shayna Glynn (Sr., F, Boise, ID/Capital HS/Walla Walla CC) produced eight points. Willamette's overall shooting was 41.3% (19 of 46). The Bearcats connected on 9 of 18 free throws on the night.

Christina Herring and Megan Spence netted 12 points apiece for Lewis & Clark. Kristina Williams tacked on 11 points and four assists, while Margaret Dowling supplied 11 points and a game-high 11 boards.

The Pioneers shot 45.5% for the game (25 of 55), including 5 of 13 three-pointers (38.5%). L&C's total of 43 rebounds featured 19 on the offensive glass. Willamette was limited to 20 total rebounds.

Prior to the game Willamette's seniors -- Zennan, Barclay and Glynn -- were honored for their contributions to the women's basketball team. They were escorted onto the court by Cassie Belmodis, athletic director at Chemeketa CC, and by Nikki Binnie-Henderson, widow of former WU head women's basketball coach Bruce Henderson.