George Fox 56, Virginia Wesleyan 53

Bruins Topple Marlins in Battle of Unbeatens.

Salem-News.com Sports

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Keisha Gordon scored 18 points and Kristen Shielee posted a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds as the 23rd-ranked George Fox University Bruins edged the Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins 56-53 in the first round of the Las Vegas Hoopla women’s basketball tournament Friday afternoon here at the Centennial Hills Community Center Gym.

It was a battle of the unbeatens as both the Bruins and Marlins came into the game with 6-0 records. Fueled by a layup and three-pointer by Gordon, the Bruins jumped out to a 9-0 lead four minutes into the game. Jordan Neville’s jumper at 15:46 got the Marlins on the board and started an 11-1 run, capped by a three-point play by Bryttani Payton, that gave VWC its first lead of 11-10 with 12:12 to go in the half.

The teams swapped baskets and leads back and forth over the next five minutes before the Bruins made another run, this one of 10-0, to go up 28-20 with 3:28 left in the period. Carrie Myers began the outburst with a pair of free throws that tied the game and ended it with a putback of a missed shot. George Fox took a 30-26 lead into the break.

Virginia Wesleyan began the second half with a 16-7 stretch that gave the Marlins their largest lead of the game at 42-37 with 12:52 left, a three-pointer by Jill Weston capping the spurt. A basket by Andrea Ushinski kept the margin at five, making it 46-41 VWC with eight minutes remaining, but the Bruins answered the challenge with a 15-7 closing burst to take the game back.

A layup by Shielee and back-to-back baskets by Gordon put George Fox back in front 47-46 with 4:55 left, and Elise Kuenzi extended the lead to four with a three-point play with 4:40 to go. Shielee gave the Bruins five-point leads twice with layups, the last at 54-49 with 1:06 remaining. A free throw by Payton and a tough three by Weston cut the deficit to one at 54-53 with 25 seconds left, but Gordon canned two big free throws to make it 56-53 with 17 seconds to go. The Marlins missed a potential tying three-pointer as time expired, keeping the Bruins undefeated.

Gordon and Shielee were the only players in double figure scoring for the Bruins, who won despite hitting only .339 from the field (20-59) and .154 from three-point range (2-13). The defense stepped up by holding the Marlins to a .393 shooting percentage (22-56), and only .235 (4-17) from beyond the arc. A 48-33 advantage on the boards, including 16 offensive rebounds, was another big factor for the Bruins. B.B. Gardner passed out four assists and had three steals. Shielee, whose double-double was the first of her career, also blocked five shots.

Weston led the Marlins with 11 points while Ushinski chipped in with 10. Ushinski, Payton, Maggie Smith, and Erin Townley had five rebounds each. Payton had five assists and three steals.

George Fox (7-0) takes on Bridgewater College of Virginia, a winner Friday over Occidental College, Saturday at 12:00 noon as the Las Vegas Hoopla continues. Virginia Wesleyan (6-1) plays Occidental in the tournament at 10:00 AM.

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