McMinville, Ore. -- Puget Sound's season comes to an end in the Northwest Conference Tournament, as the Loggers drop their semifinal matchup to the Whitman Blues.
How it Happened
The Blues got off to a 9-0 start, and the Loggers couldn't quite recover.
Natalia Sefair-Lopez got the first bucket of the day for the squad, and
Hailey Quiggle drilled a three to cut the Blues lead to seven. The Loggers' defense played well to end the first quarter, holding the Blues to no field goals in the final five minutes of play.
Mele Sake hit a jumper, and
Paige Oh drilled a three to make it a 17-10 game heading into the second.
Grace Lee got her first bucket of the day to cut the lead to five, scoring six straight points for the Loggers to give the team some momentum. The Loggers' defense held strong yet again, as the Blues only had one made field goal in 13 minutes of play.
Claire Thompson and
Brianna Forbess both got their first buckets of the day for the Loggers, and
Cayton Smith hit a pair of free throws as the Loggers found themselves down 35-24 at the half.
After eight different Loggers got in the scorebook in the first half, the third quarter was all
Carmen Cruz. She layed it in to kick off the quarter, hitting back-to-back threes to score eight of the Loggers' 10 third-quarter points. Another made jumper made it 10 straight for Cruz, but the Blues kept answering on offense. Cruz hit her final bucket of the quarter, scoring 12 of her 14 in the third.
The Loggers attempted to come back in the fourth quarter, pulling the lead down to seven after a 6-0 run. The Blues responded with a run of their own, though, as Lee fouled out of the game with seven minutes remaining. The Blues maintained their lead, as the Loggers couldn't find an answer offensively. Puget Sound concludes their season in the NWC Tornament, finishing the season at 20-6.
What Happens Next
The Loggers finished their season tied for second place in the conference, and only graduate one senior. They look to return a core of underclassmen next season, and have their eyes set on the NCAA Championships once again.
