TACOMA, Washington – In a matchup between two of the top three women's basketball teams in the Northwest Conference, Samantha Swartout scored 23 points to lead the Loggers to a 78-66 win over Pacific in Memorial Fieldhouse Friday night.
 
Swartout matched her season-high in scoring by shooting 8-for-11 from the floor and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. Kennedy Brown scored 18 points for the Loggers (14-2, 7-1 NWC), while Katie Minnehan added 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Loggers had a seemingly comfortable lead at halftime, 41-27, but the Boxers (11-5, 5-2 NWC) proved why they are a top-three team entering the game.
 
A pair of free-throws by Brown put the Loggers by 15, 49-34, with 6:32 on the clock in the third quarter. From those points, however, Pacific went on a 13-0 run to make it a two-point game.
 
Pacific briefly took a one-point led, 56-55, early in the fourth quarter, but consecutive points in the paint scored by Isabella Reed and Brown put the Loggers back ahead, 59-56. They held on to the lead for the rest of the game.
 
Puget Sound over 50-percent from the floor (53.6-percent) for the first time this season. The Loggers made 17 of their 19 attempts from the free-throw line.
 
Puget Sound has four consecutive road games coming up, starting with George Fox Friday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m.