PORTLAND, Ore.—The Puget Sound women's basketball squad erased a 12-point second half deficit Saturday night, coming back to beat Lewis & Clark 75-71 at the Pamplin Sports Center in Portland, Ore.

The Loggers scored the game's first bucket thanks to a jump shot by Emily Sheldon, but the host Pioneers scored nine of the next 11 to take a 9-4 lead three minutes into the contest. The Loggers fought back, tying the game at 15-all with 12:10 remaining in the half when Amanda Forshay nailed a layup.

After a pair of Lewis & Clark free throws, the Pioneers stole possession and turned the turnover into a three point bucket and a five point lead. They hit another three-ball with 10:20 left in the half to tally a 23-15 advantage, but the Loggers responded with a three-ball of their own from Erin Stumbaugh to pull back within five.

With 7:26 left in the half, Lewis & Clark took its first 10 point lead on the night with yet another three-ball. Of course, the Loggers responded with a three pointer of their own, this time from Taylor Jones. They pulled back within five with four minutes left in the half, but Lewis & Clark extended its advantage to 10 points again and went into the break up 45-35.

The hosts opened up second-half scoring with a layup to take a 12-point lead, their largest of the game, but the Loggers did not quit. From the 16:33 to 13:55 marks, the guests scored nine unanswered points to pull back within one at 51-50 thanks to four points by Katy Ainslie and a three-pointer from Ashley Agcaoili. Puget Sound tied the game up again at 52-52 with 12:58 remaining in the half when Alexis Noren scored a layup off a steal by Forshay.

At that point, the teams traded buckets for the next 6:20 with neither team taking more than a three-point lead. Finally, with 6:38 remaining in regulation, Forshay netted a jumper to give the Loggers a 63-59 lead. Stumbaugh added to that 37 seconds later, turning a Lewis & Clark turnover into a jumper and a six-point advantage for the guests.

Lewis & Clark snapped its five-minute scoreless stretch with a pair of free throws at the 4:57 mark, and a minute later the Pioneers added a free throw and a jumper to come within one at 65-64. Ainslie gave the Loggers a bit of breathing room with a jumper of her own, and the Loggers took a five-point lead with 2:03 remaining when Ainslie finished off an Agcaoilli steal.

Five Pioneer points in the next minute brought the game to a two-point margin, and the Lewis & Clark defense forced a jump ball with 25 seconds left. The hosts managed to get a shot off, but an offensive foul gave Stumbaugh a one-and-one opportunity. She drained both free throws to put the Loggers up 75-71, and the Puget Sound defense prevented another shot in the final seven seconds to hold on for the comeback victory.

Forshay led all players with 22 points, her third game of at least 20 points on the year and first since scoring a career-high 27 Jan. 3 against Lewis & Clark at home. Stumbaugh tallied 16 points for a season high, and both Jones and Ainslie added 10 apiece. Ainslie led the Loggers with six rebounds while Forshay also tallied three steals on the night.

As a team, the Loggers shot 51.9% from the floor, their third-highest percentage of the season while holding Lewis & Clark to a 46.7% shooting percentage. The Loggers also led the rebounding battle, grabbing 31 boards. The 12-point comeback was also the largest Logger comeback of the year, eclipsing the team's 10-point comeback Dec. 11 at Evergreen State.

Puget Sound (13-6, 6-4 NWC) next returns home for a pair of games. They host Whitworth on Friday, Feb. 7 at 6:00 p.m., and then they take on Whitman Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m., also at Memorial Fieldhouse. After the game against the Missionaries on Feb. 8, the Logger Club is holding a reception for all former Division III athletes at Memorial Fieldhouse. For more information or to RSVP for the celebration, check out http://www.pugetsound.edu/gateways/alumni/events/.