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Jan. 2, 2009
Backstrom's Career-High 16 Points Leads Lutes Past Willamette
PARKLAND, Wash. -Sara Backstrom scored a collegiate career-high 16 points to lead Pacific Lutheran to a 62-52 women's basketball victory over Willamette on Friday night at Olson Auditorium. The contest was the Northwest Conference opener for both teams.
Backstrom, a 5-6 freshman guard from Ridgefield, scored 11 of her game-high total in the second half as the Lutes (7-3 overall) hit several clutch baskets down the stretch.
Willamette (1-6 overall) took a 45-42 lead on Jenny Fillion's layup with 8:17 remaining and then went five minutes without a point. Meanwhile, the Lutes scored 13 in a row, including consecutive three-point field goals by Trinity Gibbons, Jordan Westering and Backstrom, to take a 55-45 lead. Fillion ended the drought with a free throw, but the Lutes added six more unanswered points to take an insurmountable 61-46 advantage with 1:52 to play.
Willamette, playing only its second game since head coach Bruce Henderson died suddenly and tragically from a heart attack in early December, came out ready to play. The Bearcats took a 14-5 lead on Nicki Clowdsley's layup with 10:12 left in the opening half before Westering hit a jumper to end a scoring drought of nearly seven minutes for the Lutes. That jumper got PLU going on a 15-2 run, with Westering adding five more points, and the hosts took a 25-24 lead into the intermission.
The second half was close throughout with three ties and seven lead changes in the first 12 minutes. That's when Willamette had its scoring drought and the Lutes started knocking down clutch shot after clutch shot.
Fillion had a strong game for the Bearcats with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Alex Zennan added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.
PLU's top two scorers both came off the bench, Backstrom scoring 16 and Westering adding 12. Emily Voorhies tallied 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Lutes, who also got 10 points from Trinity Gibbons and six assists from Nikki Scott.
Pacific Lutheran returns to action on Saturday, hosting Lewis & Clark in another conference clash starting at 6 p.m.
- PLU -
