TACOMA, Washington – Ranked No. 21 in the country and in sole possession of second place in the Northwest Conference, the Puget Sound women's basketball team returns to Oregon for games at Lewis & Clark (Feb. 4) and Willamette (Feb. 5).
 
Staying in it
The Loggers are ranked No. 21 in the country by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Puget Sound was ranked No. 17 last week, but it suffered its third loss of the season at George Fox (Jan. 28). The Loggers are tied with St. John Fisher in the WBCA Top 25.
 
The Kennedy campaign
Kennedy Brown was Puget Sound's high-scorer in its most recent game. She netted 15 points in the Loggers' 81-50 win at Linfield (Jan. 29). She is averaging 10.1 points per game overall, but has a 15.1 scoring average in conference games. Brown is shooting 40.4-percent from beyond the arc against conference foes.
 
Sam's club
Samantha Swartout leads the Loggers in rebounding with 5.8 boards per game. That mark is ninth in the NWC. She has two double-doubles this season, the most recent of which was a 15-point, 10-rebound effort in a win against Pacific Lutheran (Jan. 18).
 
Not so minny
Katie Minnehan's scoring average (5.6) is down from last year (11.4), but her overall contributions on the floor have not diminished. Minnehan leads the NWC in steals per game (3.5), and she is the Loggers' third-leading rebounder (5.3). Minnehan still makes the most of her shot attempts, as she holds a team-high 52.9 field-goal percentage.
 
The first time around
The Loggers handled Willamette and Lewis & Clark in Memorial Field one month ago. Puget Sound beat the Bearcats, 69-51, and the next day beat the Pioneers, 90-83.
 
Scouting Willamette (9-9, 4-5 NWC)
The Bearcats are the conference's second-lowest scoring team (57.0), and they are also second-to-last in rebounding (34.1). Willamette enters the weekend with three losses in its last four games. No Bearcat averages double digits in scoring, but four average more than nine points: Amanda Carpenter (9.9), Ava Kitchin (9.7), Carolyn Ho (9.3), Sami Riggs (9.0).
 
Scouting Lewis & Clark (10-10, 5-6 NWC)
The Pioneers have lost three of their last five games, but their most recent game was a 58-53 win over George Fox (Feb. 1). Delsie Johnson is the conference's second-leading rebounder (8.7), and she ranks sixth in scoring (13.8). Eva Richards (14.0) ranks fifth in the NWC for scoring. The Pioneers rank second in rebounding (40.3), trailing only Puget Sound (41.7).