Women's Basketball Earns 77-74 Victory Over Concordia

BOX SCORE

PORTLAND, Ore. – It was a battle to the end as the Lewis & Clark Pioneers inched out a 77-74 victory over cross-town opponent Concordia (Ore.) in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Tuesday night at the Pamplin Sports Complex.

In the first half the two teams kept it close early, before the Cavaliers (4-2) cruised to a 10-point advantage with 8:46 on the clock. The Pioneers (3-1) would begin to chip away at the Cav lead with 5:52 to play on a made jumper from sophomore Megan Spence with help from Neva Hauser. Lewis & Clark continued to pressure Concordia, eventually stealing the lead with 42 seconds remaining in the half, courtesy of a Kristina Williams jumper. Sara Villanueva made the game 38-35 Pioneers heading into halftime after draining a jumper with help from Christina Herring.

In the second half, the Pioneers came out firing, jumping to a seven-point advantage on a jumper by Spence just two minutes into the half. Concordia refused to go down without a fight, picking up the energy with a jumper from Sarah Eischen with 13:39 on the clock, giving the Cavs a 52-48 lead. The two teams would them contest the other for every point, trading possession of the lead 10 times, while tying the score nine times in the half. The Pioneers pulled ahead for good with 1:49 remaining in the game when Williams buried one from behind the arc to give the Pios a 73-70 advantage. The Cavs did their best to claw their way back into the game, but it was not enough to keep the Pios from the 77-74 victory.

The Pioneers ended the night with four players scoring in double figures, while Herring put up her first double-double of the season. Herring ended the night with 20 points and a game-high 11 assists, while Williams finished with a game-high 27 points. Villanueva finished with 14 points, while coming up with two huge blocks and four steals. Spence had 10 points on the evening and chipped in four rebounds.

Danielle Clauson led the Cavaliers in points with 20, while coming up with five rebounds. Kourtney Craft finished with 12 points, while Eischen had 10.

The Pioneers return to the court on Monday, Nov. 30 for a 7 p.m. tip-off with Corban College.