The Pioneer women's basketball team opened their season hosting the Bon Appetit Classic tournament. Click on the links below for box scores from the games.

Friday, Nov. 16, #10 Menlo 68, Willamette 48

Friday, Nov. 16, Haverford 57, Lewis & Clark 91

Saturday, Nov. 17, Haverford 43, Willamette 77

Saturday, Nov. 17, #10 Menlo 54, Lewis & Clark 53


Game Three: Haverford 43, Willamette 77

The Willamette Bearcats earned their first W of the young season with a decisive 77-43 victory over the Haverford Fords.

Molly Fillion was the story of the game for the Bearcats. The JC transfer scored 20-points with 20 rebounds (15 defensive, 5 offensive), in her second game with  team. Fillion's main defensive output came in the first half when she posted 14 rebounds before the break. Her offensive ignited in the second half when she scored 14 points of her 20 points. Laura Payne also had a double-double for the Bearcats with 18 points and 10 rebounds. For the Fords, Sara Cram had a team-high 14 points and a team-high 5 rebounds. Erica Juliano scored 13, going 6-10 from the floor.

Game Four: Menlo 54, Lewis & Clark 53

NAIA II's 10th-ranked Menlo Oaks defeated the Pioneers 54-53 (box score) in the finale of the Bon Appetit Classic tournament Saturday evening at the Pamplin Sports Center. 

Menlo took an early 10-5 lead. Allison Farr (senior, Lakeport, Calif.) hit a three to cut the lead to two. The Pioneers tied the game on another three, this one by Kim Kittell (sophomore, Tillamook, Ore.), 16-16 with 9:35 let in the half. The Oaks retied the game 18-18 at 8:44. A Talerra Rich (sophomore, Los Alamos, N.M.) layup put the Pioneers ahead 20-18 with 7:22 left in the half. The Pioneers led by as many as six and took a 27-22 lead into the locker room at the break.

A jumper by the Oaks Kepua Lee 12-seconds into the second half started a Menlo 12-2 run to begin the second half. The Pioneers trailed 34-29 with 15:35 remaining in the game. Jumpers by Christina Herring (freshman, San Dimas, Calif.) and Farr helped cut the deficit. Crystal Castle (senior, Rocklin, Calif.) tied the game for the fifth time in the contest with a jumper with 12:46 remaining, knotting the score at 35-35.

The two teams fought to a 42-42 tie with 6:45 remaining. Six straight points by the Oaks Kepua Lee put Menlo up 48-42 with 4:00 remaining.  The Oaks still led by six, 52-46, with 2:27 remaining. A jumper under the hoop by Rich pulled the Pioneers withing four. A miss by the Oaks and a Pioneer rebound by Christina Herring set up a three-point shot by Kittell to make it a 52-51 game with 1:43 remaining. A Lee jumper gave Menlo a three-point lead, 54-51 with :33 remaining. Sara Kettler (senior, Dana Point, Calif.) got a layup to put the Pioneers within one, 54-53, with 17 seconds remaining. The Pioneers fouled, sending Lee to the line for a one-and-one. Lee missed the front end and the Pioneers got the rebound. They drove down to the opposite end of the court. Allison Farr put up a shot, missed, got the rebound, and was fouled on the rebound by an Oaks player, sending her to the line with less than two seconds left in the game for a one-and-one of her own. After Menlo called a time out, Farr toed the line, trying to hit a game-tying freethrow. She missed the freethrow, the Pioneers Crystal Castle grabbed the rebound, but could bot get off another shot before the final horn expired, allowing Menlo to escape with a 54-53 victory.

Allison Farr had 13 points with seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Crystal Castle scored 13 points with five rebounds and four assists. For Menlo. Kepua Lee scored 29 points with 13 rebounds and four steals.

With the loss, the Pioneers fall to 1-1 on the season. They head to Colorado Springs next weekend to play in a Thanksgiving Weekend tournament at Colorado College. The Pioneers open the tournament Friday afternoon at 12 noon Pacific Time when they face Grinnell. Live play-by-play for both games of the Colorado Tournament will be available live on the internet through sportsjuice.com.