Bearcats Down Berry, 72-60, at Hampton Inn Classic III

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

SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. -- Katie Kalugin (Jr., G, Woodburn, OR/Woodburn HS) of Willamette University topped all players with a career-high 30 points and tied a career-high with 11 rebounds, as she led the Bearcats to a 72-60 victory over Berry College (Ga.) at the Hampton Inn Classic III on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Rebecca Josephson (Sr., G, Fair Oaks, CA/Del Campo HS) added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bearcats. It was Josephson's second double-double in three days and her third double-double this season. Jojo DeLong (Jr., PG, Santa Clarita, CA/Canyon HS) almost reached a double-double with 13 points and nine assists.

"It was overall a great team win," WU Head Coach Peg Swadener said. "Katie had a phenomenal game, created by all the team. Becca also had a fantastic night ... and Jojo was a great floor leader."

Kalugin's previous high for scoring was 20 points against Concordia University (Ore.) on Nov. 20 this season. Her rebounding total against Berry matched her career high, set against the the University of La Verne on Tuesday (Dec. 17).

"She was moving well, cutting well," Swadener commented. "She was able to take advantage of her opportunities on offense and did a great job of finishing."

Mel McLean topped Berry with 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Emma Cook earned 16 points and three rebounds for the Vikings.

Willamette, which held a 40-23 halftime advantage, improved to 2-7 on the season. Berry dropped to 4-5.

In Wednesday's other tournament game, the host team from the University of California-Santa Cruz defeated La Verne, 68-55. UC-Santa Cruz went 3-0 in the tournament, while La Verne was 1-1, Willamette was 1-2 and Berry finished 0-2.

The Bearcats scored first and never trailed against the Vikings. Willamette surged out to a 6-0 lead and owned a 10-4 advantage, including six points by Kalugin, with 15:31 left in the first half. A bit later, back-to-back 3-pointers by DeLong gave WU an 18-9 margin with 10:15 to go before halftime.

Berry pulled within 20-14 on a 3-point basket from Maggie Trimble at the 8:47 mark, but the Bearcats scored seven of the next nine points for a 27-16 edge with 6:27 on the clock. Kalugin completed the run with a 3-point basket that vaulted her into double figures with 11 points.

Willamette's 17-point halftime margin was achieved with 48.6% shooting from the floor (18 of 37). Kalugin scored 17 points on 8 of 15 field goals in the first 20 minutes. She also grabbed six rebounds during the first half, while DeLong provided six assists.

Meanwhile, the Viking shot just 36.0% (9 of 25) in the first half and were outrebounded by the Bearcats, 22-15.

An 8-2 run by WU in the first 3:13 of the second half extended the lead to 23 points at 48-25. Alexa Beeson (Jr., G, Portland, OR/Lincoln HS) hit a 3-pointer during the run and finished the game with eight points.

Willamette took its largest lead of the game, 56-32, on a layup by Kalugin with 12:42 remaining. Berry tallied the next nine points, including a layup and a 3-pointer by McLean to cut the deficit to 15 points with 8:59 left. The Vikings never pulled within single digits, but did reduce Willamette's lead to 63-53 on a layup by Valerie McLure at the 3:32 mark.

Kalugin tacked on a free throw with 2:37 to left and sank a 3-pointer with 1:37 to go, as WU took a 67-53 advantage.

For the game, Willamette shot 41.9% (31 of 74) from the field and made 8 of 19 three-pointers (42.1%). Kalugin led the way by hitting 13 of 25 field goals (52.0%). She was 3 for 4 from 3-point range. Josephson was 7 of 14 on field goals, while DeLong made 5 of 10 shots.

"There was a lot of movement, a lot of teamwork," Swadener said. "Great passes around the perimeter as shown by 27 assists. We secured the ball with (only) nine turnovers. Everyone got pretty high percentage looks."

Berry finished at 40.7% on field goals (24 of 59), including 44.1% (15 of 34) in the second half. The Vikings connected on just 5 of 10 three-pointers (26.3%), but converted 7 of 10 free throws.

Willamette attained a solid 47-34 rebounding edge. Berry lost the ball 12 times, as WU gained a 12-3 edge in points off turnovers.

"A great game, a great team win," Swadener said. "We're excited to take that into the Christmas Break."

The Bearcats will return to action with the start of Northwest Conference play on Friday, Jan. 3, when they will host Whitman College at Cone Field House. Game time is set for 6 p.m. (PST).