WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- With Kristen Shielee posting a huge double-double and the Bruins drilling 21 of 25 second-half free throws, George Fox University rallied past Whitman College 62-51 Saturday night in a battle of nationally-ranked NCAA Div. III teams in Sherwood Center.

Anna Forge

George Fox improved to 2-0 in the Northwest Conference and stayed perfect on the season at 11-0. Shielee, a 6-foot-4 senior, combined 19 rebounds with 16 points and four blocked shots.

Whitman, which was outscored 26-8 at the free throw line, slipped to 1-1 in the NWC and 9-2 overall. Hilary White paced the Missionaries with 15 points, four assists and four steals. 

Whitman held the early upper hand, closing out the final four minutes of the first half on a 12-0 run to lead 24-18 at the break. Michelle Krall and White knocked down 3-pointers to spark the spurt.

George Fox wasted little time erasing that lead at the outset of the second half, scoring seven unanswered points in a two-minute outburst.

Krall's bucket a few minutes later gave Whitman its last lead of the night at 31-29. The Bruins then seized command with a 16-4 scoring spree that produced a 45-35 lead with about seven minutes left to play. The Missionaries twice closed to within four points, but George Fox made 12 of 14 free throws in the last five minutes to wrap up the win.

Elize Kuenzi, who was 13 of 13 from the George Fox charity stripe, finished with a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds. Sage Indendi added 11 points and five boards for the Bruins, who outrebounded Whitman by a whopping 47-29 margin.

Anna Forge came off the Whitman bench to contribute 10 points, six rebounds and three steals. Krall had nine points, six boards and three steals.

Both teams shot just 33.3 percent from the floor for the game, although Whitman made three more field goals than the Bruins. 

Box Score 

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu