TACOMA, Wash. – Puget Sound fended off a late push by Willamette to secure a 62-58 victory Friday night at Memorial Fieldhouse in Northwest Conference action.

The game saw six lead changes and five ties, with Puget Sound starting strong, outscoring Willamette 18-14 in the first quarter. Willamette responded in the second, cutting the deficit to one at halftime, 32-31. The third quarter was a defensive battle, but Puget Sound surged in the fourth, outscoring the Bearcats 20-15 to claim the win.

Puget Sound's Carmen Cruz led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, adding four rebounds and a steal. Emme Eisenman pulled down 10 rebounds and chipped in nine points with three steals. Addison Reardon knocked down two crucial 3-pointers and finished with eight points.

Willamette's Elyse Waldal was sharp from beyond the arc, sinking four 3-pointers and finishing with a game-high 20 points. Bearcat Daisy Boling-Schmidt dominated the boards with nine rebounds while scoring eight points.

With the score tied at 58 in the final two minutes, Puget Sound clamped down on defense, forcing a key turnover. Claire Thompson sank two free throws to give the Loggers a slim lead. After Willamette missed a 3-pointer, Cruz added another free throw to stretch the lead to three. Puget Sound's defense held firm in the closing seconds, sealing the win with an insurance free throw from Natalia Sefair-Lopez.

Puget Sound looks to carry its momentum into the final game of the regular season versus George Fox, tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.