TACOMA, Wash. -- The Loggers take down Middlebury 42-36, holding off the Panthers in a great defensive game.
How it Happened
Two free throws and a made three-point jumper started the game, as the Panthers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. After a shot clock violation took points off the board from
Autumn Hill, a
Carmen Cruz layup took the Loggers into a media timeout. Middlebury made another quick bucket, but a three by
Paige Oh pulled the Loggers back within one, 5-6. Oh, coming off a couple of missed games due to injury, knocked in another bucket to give the Loggers their first lead of the day.
Grace Lee closed out the quarter with a layup, making it 9-8 at the break.
The Loggers' strong defense picked up in the second quarter, as both teams were held scoreless for over three minutes to start the period. A
Mele Sake layup broke the ice, but neither team could find the bottom of the basket. Middlebury struck with two quick buckets in a row to retake the lead, but a three by
Hailey Quiggle put the Loggers back in front. Quiggle closed out the period with yet another jumper, as the Loggers took a 19-14 lead into halftime.
The third quarter started similarly to the second, as both teams took over three minutes to score. Sake broke the ice to make it 21-14, but the Panthers weren't out of it yet. They went on a 6-0 run in quick succession, to pull within one, but a 5-0 Loggers run erased the deficit. Another layup by Sake and a couple of points by the Panthers made it 28-25 at the break, as the Loggers looked to hold onto their slim lead.
Quiggle led the scoring to start the fourth quarter, knocking down a three and getting a fastbreak steal to secure a quick five points. Cruz extended the lead to 10 with a layup with just 4:25 left, as the Loggers' defense didn't allow a single point until six minutes into the quarter. The back-and-forth started, as the teams both made a couple of quick points in the final minute of the game, but a couple of strong defensive stands helped the Loggers to victory, 42-36.
Top Performers
Quiggle and Oh led the way in the scoring column, as they picked up 10 points apiece. Hill played great around the net, recording 5 blocks and an impressive 13 rebounds.
What Happens Next
The Loggers open up NWC play against Lewis & Clark on Friday, January 2nd. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
