CALDWELL, Idaho—The Puget Sound women's basketball team showed resolve down the stretch Saturday, draining crucial free at the end of an 82-77 win over Eastern Oregon. With the victory, the Loggers closed out the Best Western Caldwell Inn and Suites Lady Yote Classic held at the J.A. Albertson Center in Caldwell, Idaho.  

The Loggers jumped out to a 9-0 lead thanks to Emily Sheldon, Amanda Forshay, and Katy Ainslie. Sheldon scored the game's first four points with two layups bookending a steal from Eastern Oregon's Nicole Redd. Forshay drained a three-pointer, and Ainslie added a pair of free throws to give the Loggers a nine-point advantage just over two minutes into the game. The Mountaineers then rattled off six of the next eight points to cut the Logger lead to five.

Puget Sound maintained its five-point advantage until 9:42 remained on the clock when Eastern Oregon came within two at 20-18. Over the next four and a half minutes, the Loggers embarked on a 12-6 run and took an eight-point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the half. The Mountaineers battled back again, however, coming within two at 32-10 with 3:13 left. The teams then traded three-pointers with two minutes remaining in the half and both scored in the final thirty seconds of the half to head into the halftime separated by two, Puget Sound leading 40-38.

The Loggers shot 42.9% from the floor in the first, making 12 of their 28 attempts. They went four of six from beyond the arc and hit 12 of 16 from the charity stripe. Eastern Oregon hit just 34.4% of its field goals but drained six three-pointers in the first half and made 10 of 12 free throw attempts, allowing the squad to keep pace with the better-shooting Loggers. Puget Sound also out-rebounded the Mountaineers 25-16 in the opening period.

Coming out of the break, the Loggers scored six points in the first minute and a half while forcing three Eastern Oregon turnovers. A quick Mountaineer timeout failed to slow down the Loggers as Ashley Agcaoili drained a jumper and Sheldon hit two more free throws to give the Loggers a 50-38 lead, their largest at that point of the contest.

The Mountaineers fought back within eight with two straight baskets, but the Loggers' Sheldon and Agcaoili hit back-to-back three-pointers to return the Logger advantage to 12. Alexis Noren and Allie Wyszynski then hit a layup each, and Wyszynski added a free-throw after being fouled on her layup attempt to give the Loggers a 61-44 lead with 12:59 remaining in regulation.

After Sheldon drained a three-pointer to put the Loggers up 73-59 with 5:20 remaining, the Mountaineers rattled off nine straight points over the next two minutes to cut the Logger lead to five. A jumper from Ainslie slowed the run, but Eastern Oregon pulled within two at 75-73 with 2:04 remaining.

Finding themselves in a tight contest with two minutes remaining, the Loggers depended on free throws to claim the victory. They went seven of eight from the free throw line in the final minutes to close out the win. Forshay made three of her four attempts, including two after a technical foul by Eastern Oregon with 1:27 on the clock, and Agcaoili nailed all four of her free throw attempts in the final 10 seconds to ice the game for Puget Sound.

Despite the close victory, the Loggers never trailed in the game, taking their largest lead of 17 points with 12:59 left in the second half. The Loggers shot 43.9% from the floor and a blistering 64.3% from three-point range, connecting on nine of 14 three balls. The nine three-pointers is the squad's most since Nov. 25, 2012 when they drained 10 from beyond the arc.

Sheldon set a career-high for the second consecutive night, scoring 24 points against the Mountaineers. She also set career marks with eight made field goals and four successful three-pointers. Forshay scored 13 points, and Agcaoili saw one of the best games of her career as she set career marks with 11 points, four assists, and four steals.

The Loggers (5-2) will rest for over a week in preparation for finals week coming up. They next take the court Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Evergreen State. That contest tips off at 6:00 p.m. in Olympia, Wash.