PORTLAND – Northwest dropped its first road contest of the season Friday night, falling to Lewis and Clark College, 85-69.
 
The Pioneers outscored NU 28-4 at the free-throw line. 
 
Sam Van Loo had 23 points and shared the team rebound lead with Livi Lindsey with four each. Maya Duchesne had nine points in her NU debut. Ellesse FitzGerald had four assists.
 
"It was a tough game," said NU Head Coach Ken Crawford. "We were inconsistent on both ends of the floor; much of it because of our youth and inexperience. But we worked hard the whole time and we will continue to be that 'work in progress' as we discover how good we can actually be."
 
Hannah Martin led LCC with 24 points, hitting all 10 of her free throw attempts. Delsie Johnson scored on all eight of her free throws on the way to 19 points. NU had six free throw attempts.
 
The Eagles led 21-16 after the first quarter behind four three-pointers, but the Pioneers outscored the Eagles 23-12 in the second quarter to grab a 39-33 halftime lead.
 
After a 20-13 advantage in the third quarter, LCC had a 59-46 lead.
 
Northwest found its offense again in the fourth quarter for 23 points but could not cut into the lead. Van Loo scored 12 of her points in the final frame.
 
Now 1-2, the Eagles head to Montana next weekend for three games. NU plays at Rocky Mountain Thursday before heading to Providence's classic in Great Falls. The Eagles play Montana State-Northern Friday and Providence Saturday.