TACOMA, Washington – In sole possession of second place in the Northwest Conference standings, the No. 17 Puget Sound women's basketball team embarks on a four-game road stint that begins at George Fox (Jan. 28) and Linfield (Jan. 29) this weekend.
 
National discussion
The Loggers enter this weekend ranked No. 17 in the nation by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Puget Sound is receiving votes (RV) in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. The Loggers' only two losses this season came against No. 6 Whitman and UC Santa Cruz (RV).
 
Swart it out
During last week's home wins against Pacific and Pacific Lutheran, Samantha Swartout averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, and shot 16-for-17 from the free-throw line. Overall this season, Swartout is averaging 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds.
 
Katie keepin' it klepto
The Loggers' defense averages a conference-best 13.7 steals per game, and Katie Minnehan leads all NWC players with 3.5 steals per game.
 
Green light
Puget Sound leads the NWC in 3-point field-goal attempts with 472 through 16 games. Sophie Nilsson ranks fifth in 3-point makes with 89.
 
Turn it up a notch
Kennedy Brown is averaging 10.3 points this season, but she found a new gear in conference games. In six games against NWC foes, Brown is averaging 17.2 points.
 
Scouting George Fox (6-9, 2-4 NWC)
The Bruins are 2-2 in the calendar year, a stretch that includes an overtime win over Lewis & Clark (Jan. 4). George Fox is shooting under 40-percent (39.5-percent) from the floor as a team, but it holds the conference's best 3-point percentage (33.2-percent). No Bruin averages double digits in scoring. Alyssa Wells is the team's leading scorer (9.5), and Emily Stephens is the leading rebounder (5.6). The Bruins lost at Puget Sound earlier this season, 80-72 (Dec. 4).
 
Scouting Linfield (0-14, 0-6 NWC)
The winless Wildcats have lost each of their games by double digits this season. They rank last in the NWC in rebounding (32.4), and they commit the most turnovers (21.9). Gillyan Landis is Linfield's leading scorer with 12.3 points per game. Puget Sound beat Linfield earlier this season, 74-49 (Dec. 3).