TACOMA, Washington – Sophie Nilsson had a career-high 27 points and the Puget Sound women's basketball team nearly erased an 18-point deficit in the second half, but the Loggers ultimately fell to UC Santa Cruz, 65-58, in the 2021-22 season-opener in Memorial Fieldhouse Friday night.
 
The Banana Slugs (1-0) had a 39-24 lead at halftime, and they opened the second half by hitting a 3-pointer. Still, Nilsson established herself in the paint early in the second half. Within the first 90 seconds of the third quarter she attempted two shots from the paint and earned a trip to the foul line.
 
With one minute remaining in the third quarter, Rhae Schulz-O'Neil hit a 3-point to cut the Loggers' deficit to single digits, 52-43.
 
It became a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter when Nilsson hit a trey to make it a 54-51 game. Following a defensive stop, Jordyn Reverman hit a driving layup to bring the Loggers to within one point, 54-53, with 3:31 left in regulation.
 
However, that's as close as Puget Sound would get.
 
Sofia Lavinder scored 14 points against the Banana Slugs, and Katie Minnehan did a lot of the dirty work with seven boards and eight steals.
 
The Loggers host Pomona-Pitzer Sunday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m.