Jan. 30, 2007

Late Run Gives Loggers 67-60 Win Over Lutes

Game Statistics

Nikki Johnson - 26 points, 10 rebounds

Kezia Long - 14 points

Puget Sound outscored visiting Pacific Lutheran 20-8 in the final six minutes to garner a 67-60 Northwest Conference women's basketball victory on Tuesday night at Memorial Fieldhouse.

The loss drops the Lutes three games behind the conference-leading Loggers. Pacific Lutheran is 11-8 overall and 6-5 in the conference standings, while Puget Sound improves to 16-4 overall and 9-2 in the conference, one-half game ahead of the 8-2 George Fox Bruins.

The Lutes held a 52-47 lead with about six minutes to play when the Loggers' Morgan Harter chased down a missed shot and fed Allison Craven, who buried a three-point shot. That sent the Loggers on their game-closing 20-8 run.

The two teams matched 47 percent shooting in the first half, both hitting 15-of-32 shots. Kezia Long had 10 of her 14 points for the Lutes in the opening 20 minutes. As well as the Lutes shot in the first period, however, they were equally cold in the opening minutes of the second half, missing their first 12 shots. Long knocked down a pair of charity tosses to get the Lutes a couple of points, and Nikki Johnson finally hit a layup for PLU to end the skid. Despite the shooting woes, the Lutes were tied with the hosts, 41-41, with 12:48 left to play.

Pacific Lutheran regained the upper hand behind the play of Johnson, the reigning Northwest Conference Player of the Year. At one point she scored 13 consecutive PLU points in the second half, including seven in a row that turned a 47-45 Pacific Lutheran deficit into a 52-47 lead. The senior wing from Tenino finished the game with 26 points on 11-of-22 shooting. She also had 10 rebounds as the Lutes won that statistical battle, 38-35.

Craven led the Loggers with 20 points and Marissa Cain, who hit a big three-point shot during Puget Sound's closing run, added 13 points.

The Lutes return to action on Friday night, hosting Lewis & Clark in another Northwest Conference contest at Olson Auditorium. Trailing UPS by three games with five to play, the Lutes' most likely hope of reaching the three-team conference tournament is to finish third during the regular season. That makes Friday's game against Lewis & Clark, one-half game behind the Lutes, a very important contest for the Lutes.

- PLU -