Tacoma, WA - The Northwest women's basketball team suffered a hard defeat against University of Puget Sound, 108-69.
After the Eagles gained a much-needed win against Lewis & Clark at home, the Eagles got a chance to grab momentum in Tacoma. However, the Loggers offense proved overwhelming for the Eagles. The Loggers took control from the start by going 10-16 in field goals and 6-9 in three pointers. The Eagles, on the other hand, struggled to keep up, scoring 6-14 in field goals and 4-9 in threes.
The second quarter got uglier as the Eagles' defensive struggles continued. The Loggers unloaded 33 points on the quarter, shooting 11-18 and going 7-7 on the free throw line. Beyond the three-point line, the Eagles were downtrodden, only able to hit one out of seven.
Things smoothed out and worked better for the Eagles in the third quarter, outscoring the Loggers 25-23 and matching strength for strength in shots with the Eagles, nailing 8-12 compared to the Loggers 8-17. However, it was too little too late.
The fourth quarter saw the Eagles out of gas, only hitting 11 points and shooting 3-17. The Loggers finished the quarter hitting 8-19 and cashing in four out of eight of their free throws. The Loggers stood stout defensively all game, with 25 defensive rebounds and 12 steals, limiting the Eagles to three quarters scoring 17 points or fewer.
Kimberly Carrada Sanchez accumulated 17 points on the night, and Ellie De Waard followed up with 15 points.
"We faced a team that got after it defensively and did a solid job of speeding us up early in the game," said Head Coach Randall Edens. "That led to quick shots and run outs for them. We made a valiant effort in the third quarter and even got it down to within 15, I believe, in the mid-third quarter, and we outscored them as well. Carmen Cruz for UPS, who came off the bench, was remarkable, as were the Loggers from a distance—well above their season averages and expectations from us on our end.
"Our young roster, many new players, and a few serious injuries to have to navigate already has made things a challenge . . . but we have improved this week and look forward to opening our league schedule next week."
