Bearcats Squash Banana Slugs in Overtime, 56-52, at UCSC Thanksgiving Classic

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Kylie Towry (Sr., G, Medford, OR/South Medford HS) scored on a layup with 15 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and Willamette University never trailed during the extra session, as the Bearcats outlasted the University of California Santa Cruz, 56-52, in the second round of the UC Santa Cruz Mission Inn Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday, Nov. 25. The game was played at Kaiser Permanente Arena, the home court of the Santa Cruz Warriors, the minor league affiliate of the Golden State Warriors.

Willamette upped its record to 3-2 on the season, as the Bearcats finished 2-0 in the tournament. The Banana Slugs slipped to 1-2 overall, 0-1 in the tournament. UC Santa Cruz will play the California State University Maritime Academy in the final game of the Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday, Nov. 26.

The Bearcats trailed 50-48 after Kim Tom hit a jumper for UC Santa Cruz with 31 seconds left in regulation. Towry answered with her tying layup. The Banana Slugs had two chances to break the tie, but CJ Catina missed a layup with three seocnds left. Jenna Sparks rebounded the ball for UCSC. After a timeout, Tom also missed a layup and the game went to overtime.

Willamette had the ball first in the overtime period. Britanny Kochenderfer (Jr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) missed a jumper for the Bearcats at the 4:32 mark, but teammate Jada Leonard (Fr., G, Kent, WA/Kentlake HS) rebounded the ball. Twenty seconds later, Drew Farmer (So., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS) was fouled, and sank the first of two free throws, giving WU a 51-50 lead.

Leonard grabbed another offensive rebound with 3:20 to go and scored on a layup seconds later for a 53-50 advantage. Towry provided the game's next points on a layup with 2:07 on the clock. Towry was fouled on the play, but did not convert the free throw.

The Bearcats maintained their 55-50 lead until Tom scored for UCSC on a jumper with 44 seconds left. Towry missed a layup at the 26-second mark, but WU still owned a 55-52 edge. Catina launched a 3-pointer for the Banana Slugs that rebounded with four seconds remaining. Elizabeth Logsdon (So., F, McMinnville, OR/McMinnville HS) grabbed the board for Willamette, was fouled, and sank the first of two free throws with two seconds left to clinch the win.

"Santa Cruz is a quick and well coached team, and we knew they were going to force us into lower percentage shots than we are used to," Willamette Head Coach Peg Swadener said. "Because of this, we placed our focus on crashing the boards, and that ended up being the deciding factor in the game. The team showed their character tonight by fighting for a full 45 minutes. It's always a great thing to win a game like this on the road."

Kochenderfer and Logsdon each finished with a double-double for the Bearcats. Kochenderfer registered game highs with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Logsdon contributed 13 points and 10 boards. Towry also reached double figures with 10 points, as she moved into a tie for seventh on Willamette's all-time scoring list with 1,027 points. She is tied with Laura Payne (2004-08).

Also for Willamette, Ashley Evans (Sr., PG, Canby, OR/Canby HS) scored six points, hit two 3-pointers and supplied five assists. Leonard scored six points and hauled down eight rebounds, helping the Bearcats attain a 53-38 rebounding margin.

Catina and Tom each tallied 14 points for the Banana Slugs. Catina connected on 4 of 12 shots from behind the 3-point arc. Katilin Stephenson provided seven points and a team-high nine boards.

UC Santa Cruz build a 15-10 advantage in the opening quarter after scoring the game's first eight points on a layup by Sparks and two 3-pointers from Catina. Willamette pulled within 11-6 on a jumper by Kochenderfer with 3:29 left in the quarter, and the Berarcats trailed by just two points at 12-10 following a layup by Lodgsdon with 1:11 to go. Tom of UCSC earned a traditional three-point play when she scored on a layup and was fouled with three seconds on the clock.

Willamette outscored the Banana Slugs 15-9 in the second quarter to take a 25-24 lead at the break. Even so, the first four points of the quarter were scored by UCSC for a 19-10 lead. The Bearcats countered with a 10-0 run that included one 3-pointer each by Kochenderfer and Towry. Towry's trifecta gave Willamette a 20-19 lead with 2:14 left. The scoring steaks continued with the Banana Slugs taking a 24-20 lead, only to have the Bearcats close the half with a 5-0 run on a layup by Logsdon, a free throw by Towry and a jumper by Mary Eckenrode (Sr., G, Higley, AZ/Highland HS) as time expired.

The third quarter began with four lead changes, which ended with the Bearcats grabbing a 30-28 advantage on a 3-pointer by Evans with 7:59 on the clock. Lodsdon and Kochenderfer each added a jumper, as WU built a 34-28 lead with 6:06 to go. UC Santa Cruz battled back to tie the score at 36-36 on a 3-pointer from Katie Yong with 3:44 left. Willamette was in front 40-36 to start the fourth quarter.

A 3-pointer by Young and layups from Stephenson and Alvarez surged the Banana Slugs into a 43-40 lead with 7:37 remaining in the game. The Bearcats put together another run, this time six unanswered points, for a 46-43 lead on a layup and foul shot by Eckenrode with 4:48 left. Tom tied the game for UCSC with a 3-pointer 13 seconds later. Baskets by Sparks and Kochenderfer created another tie at 48-48 with 1:04 on the clock, setting up the exciting final minute.

During the game, Willamette continued its strong defensive play, holding the Banana Slugs to just 31.3% shooting (21 of 67). UCSC was 8 of 25 from 3-point range (32.0%). WU committed just seven fouls, resulting in a modest 2-for-3 performance by the Banana Slugs at the free throw line.

The Bearcats hit 23 of 65 shots (35.4%) and went 4 for 11 from 3-point range (36.4%). UC Santa Cruz committed 17 fouls, and Willamette went 6 for 10 at the charity stripe.

Up next for Willamette will be the start of Northwest Conference play on Friday, Dec. 1, when the Bearcats will host Lewis & Clark College at Cone Field House. Game time is slated for 6 p.m. (PST). Willamette will then host George Fox University on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m.