THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Puget Sound Loggers did something
that no other squad had done this season, defeating the 23rd-ranked
Cal Lutheran Regals, 56-48, in a NCAA Division III women's
basketball game on Sunday at Gilbert Arena in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
CLU's Brianna Parker hit a jumper a minute in the game to give
the Regals a lead by senior Natasha Ludwig (Hilo, Hawaii/Waiakea)
hit a layup on the next trip down the floor and a jumper by Claire
Ely (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) gave the Loggers the lead as
Puget Sound wouldn't trail the rest of the way.
CalLu tied the game again with 12:46 left to play in the first
half but the Loggers used a 12-2 run to go ahead by 10 points with
8:05 left on the clock. Cal Lutheran battled to chip the
Logger lead back into single digits but Puget Sound still held a
29-22 lead heading into the halftime break.
In the second half, the Regals continued to chip away at the
Logger lead, pulling within one point at 38-37 with 13:45 left in
the game. A 7-0 run put the Loggers back up by eight points
but CLU didn't give up yet, pulling back within two points with
3:32 left to play but the Logger defense held tough as Puget Sound
ended the game on an 8-2 run that gave Puget Sound the 56-48
victory.
The Loggers were led by Ely, who scored 19 points on her way to
tournament MVP honors. Sophomore Jocelyn Riordan (Lake Forest
Park, Wash./Shorecrest) added 13 points in the win while Lindsay
Layland (Homer, Alaska) scored four and collected seven rebounds as
she was named to the all-tournament team. Puget Sound won the
battle on the glass, out-rebounding CalLu, 40-32.
Cal Lutheran was led by 12 points off the bench from Erica
Whitley. The host Regals struggled from the free-throw line,
making just six-of-11 attempts for 54.5%, compared with 86.4% for
the Loggers.
Puget Sound will take a break for the holidays before returning
to the hardwood on Dec. 29 when they play host to Wisconsin-Eau
Claire. Tip-off with the Blugolds is set for 6:00 p.m. at
Memorial Fieldhouse in Tacoma, Wash.
