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Bruins reap
top NWC accolades
St. Paul
mounts comeback, takes third at state
GFU captures
first NWC win
Newberg
equestrian team to saddle up this weekend
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`We are here to play' |
The Bruins drill Chapman 86-55 in the second round
of the NCAA Division III national tournament |
By B. Scott
Anderson, Newberg Graphic sports editor
E-mail Scott at
banderson@eaglenewspapers.com
|
Freshman Katy Campbell scored a
career-high 18 points and senior Liz Clark pulled down a career-high
20 rebounds to lead George Fox’s thumping of Chapman 86-55 Saturday
in the second round of the NCAA Division III women’s basketball
national tournament.
“We hoped for a big win, like a 15-point big win at least,” Clark
said. “A 31-point win in a playoff game — you don’t always expect
that.”
A freshman post from Thurston High School, Campbell came into the
game averaging 5.4 points per game. With the Bruins, the Northwest
Conference champions, clinging to a slim lead late in the first
half, she scored the last three Bruin buckets of the half, capped by
an 18-footer with one second remaining to give George Fox a 38-32
halftime lead.
As the Bruins went on a 17-5 run to open the second half, Campbell
was right in the mix. She hit a three-pointer with 16:20 remaining
in the game to give the Bruins a 50-37 lead. Campbell shot 7 of 14
from the field.
“I just knew that I needed to step up and play,” Campbell said. “We
kind of came out rusty in the beginning and I just knew that I
needed to bring it and help my team out. We were playing well, but
were just missing that edge.”
Campbell was missing from the scouting report of Panther coach
Carol Jue.
“Who the heck has a (post) shooting threes?” she said. “We just
don’t have the athleticism George Fox does and that’s why they’re
the conference champions.”
While Campbell was busy giving the Panthers fits, Clark was equally
frustrating for the Panthers. She had 10 rebounds in the first half
and came out in the second half and corralled five rebounds, four
offensive, in the first 2:36 of the second half. Clark also added 12
points.
“I thought Liz Clark had one of the best games I’ve seen,” Jue
said. “They were very athletic and were able to get some rebounds
that we thought we had and then we didn’t have them anymore.”
George Fox coach Scott Rueck said Clark’s performance was one
expected from a first-team all-conference player.
“She has the ability to do that and we needed it,” he said. “Our
offense wasn’t flowing early and she knew we needed hustle plays and
she was everywhere. It was fun to watch. It was amazing to watch,
really.”
The Bruins continued to dominate the Panthers throughout the second
half. George Fox freshman point guard Tiffany Behary, more of a
playmaker than a shooter, hit three three-pointers. That was a
signal to Jue.
“She normally doesn’t shoot those and then you’re thinking that
this is breaking our backs,” she said.
A key factor in the win was the rebounding edge the Bruins held.
George Fox, the team ranked last in the Northwest Conference in
rebounding, held a 51-36 advantage on the boards, including 24
offensive rebounds.
“I told the team before the game that rebounding was going to be
huge,” Rueck said. “If you can own the boards, that’s when you can
dominate a team and that was our goal going in. We wanted to play
well and not mess around with this team and try to put it on them.”
Along with the rebounding edge, the Bruins held a slim three-point
shooting advantage. Chapman hit 7 of 22 while the Bruins finished 11
of 31.
“They’re a very good team, one of the best three-point shooting
teams and they’re very athletic,” Jue said.
Chapman managed to take away George Fox’s main offensive weapon —
junior guard Kim Leith, who averages 18.2 points per game and was
the NWC’s player of the year. Even though Leith scored eight
first-half points, she sat out the final 10 minutes in foul trouble.
Leith ended the game with 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting.
“We frustrated her a bit to a point where she was having a hard
time, but you don’t keep the good ones really down too long,” Jue
said. “She’s complimented by a great team.”
In Leith’s absence, George Fox reserves Campbell, Karissa Boyd (14
minutes, one turnover and one assist) and Robin Taylor (10 points
and five rebounds) stepped in and played well, Rueck said.
“I thought it was a really key part of this game when (Leith) went
to the bench and other people stepped up,” he said. “We kept on
scoring and kept our lead and that’s something that in the past, has
hurt us. When (Leith) has gone to the bench, we’ve kind of looked
around and sometimes haven’t had people step up. Tonight we did. I
was really proud of the depth.”
The Bruins will play Friday against against St. Benedict, a 77-71
winner over Buena Vista Friday in Ashland, Va. The win was a good
sign the Bruins can play with anyone, Clark said.
“It’s good momentum for the weekend and it was nice to play a team
we haven’t seen from a different state in a national setting,” she
said. “We know it’s not just our conference that we can play
against. We are really here to play.”
Notes: Chapman advanced to Saturday’s game after beating
Cal-Lutheran 72-65 on March 2. |
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From
March 9, 2005, Newberg Graphic
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