PARKLAND, Wash.—Down by four at halftime, the Loggers erupted for 46 points on a 51.6% shooting field goal percentage in the second half to blow past Pacific Lutheran Tuesday night at Names Family Court in Parkland, Wash.

The host Lutes opened the game by taking a 10-3 lead four minutes into the contest, but the Loggers roared back with a 7-2 run to come within two at 12-10. Alexis Noren scored five of those points, netting a layup half a minute after checking into the game and finishing the run with a traditional three-point play at the 13:26 mark.

Pacific Lutheran then added a bucket to grab a four-point advantage, but Hannah Lekson took off, scoring three consecutive times to give Puget Sound its first lead of the contest at 16-14. The two teams traded leads for the next eight minutes until the Lutes closed out the half with eight straight points to take a 29-24 lead into halftime.  

The Logger bench stood out in the first half as Puget Sound's non-starters contributed 15 of the team's 24 first-half points. Lekson scored eight points in the period while Noren added five points and five rebounds to the early Logger cause. Allie Wyszynski also scored off the bench, contributing two points and two boards in the half.

Coming out of the break, the Loggers wasted little time in eliminating their deficit. Emily Sheldon drilled a three-pointer 35 seconds into the half, and Katy Ainslie got her game going by scoring the Loggers' next eight points. Noren added a jumper just before the 16:00 mark to take a 37-31 lead, an advantage which the Loggers would not give up. After a Lute basket, buckets by Noren and Amanda Forshay gave the Loggers an eight-point lead at 41-33 with 14:41 left in regulation.

Over the next seven minutes, the Loggers held their lead around eight points. Pacific Lutheran came within five with 7:45 remaining in the period, but Sheldon netted another three-ball to re-establish the eight-point advantage. The Loggers then tallied a double-digit lead at 60-50 with 4:04 remaining. The Lutes could not mount another comeback attempt in the final minutes and Puget Sound held on for a 70-57 road win.

Sheldon led all players with 18 points, 16 of which came in the second half. She hit five of nine field goals attempted and went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in final period. Ainslie also saw a standout second half, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the final 20 minutes. She also grabbed all six of her rebounds then as well. Additionally, Noren hit double-digits in the second half alone, netting 10 en route to a career-high 15 points for the freshman. The guard from Milwaukie, Ore., also led Puget Sound with eight rebounds throughout the contest.

As a team, the Loggers shot 42.6% from the field and 26.9% from three-point range, similar to Pacific Lutheran's marks of 41.1% and 28.6%, respectively. The Logger offense, however, drained seven three-pointers, their most since hitting eight Jan. 11 at Whitworth, as opposed to two from PLU. The Logger defense also contributed heavily to the win, earning 10 steals and forcing 21 Pacific Lutheran turnovers.

The Loggers (14-8, 7-6 NWC) will play their final road contest of the regular season Saturday, Feb. 15, when they travel to Salem, Ore., and take on Willamette. That game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. at Gordie James Court.