OLYMPIA, Wash. – After building an early lead, the Evergreen Geoducks had to dig deep to hold off a feisty Linfield Wildcats team, earning a 55-50 win in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Sunday afternoon at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

After opening the game on a 10-0 scoring run, the Geoducks (3-6) pushed the lead to 17 at 20-3 with 10:02 left to play in the first half.  The Wildcats (1-6) clawed back, tightening the gap to eight with 1:58 left to go in the opening period but the Geoducks grabbed a pair of baskets to take a 29-17 lead into the break.

In the second half, Linfield came out determined to get back in the game and they achieved their goal, closing the differential to just four points with 15:50 left to play and eventually tying the game at 35-35 with 11:06 left to go following a free throw by Kaely Maltman.

Evergreen grabbed the reigns once again, pushing the lead to eight points and the Geoducks wouldn’t give up the lead the rest of the way, battling to the 55-50 win.

Evergreen was led by 18 points from junior Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS).  Sadee Jones (Belfair, Wash./North Mason HS) added 14 points in the win while Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC) chalked up 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the green and white.

Linfield was led by 19 points from Katelyn Henson and 14 from Maltman.  The Wildcats held a 39-32 advantage on the boards but it wasn’t enough as the ‘Cats fell to 1-6.

The Geoducks will open up 2013 on Friday night when they resume Cascade Conference play at home against Concordia. Tip with the Cavs is set for 5:30 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

CALDWELL, Idaho – Playing a nationally-ranked opponent for the second straight night, the Evergreen Geoducks couldn’t pull off the upset, falling to the 22nd-ranked College of Idaho Yotes, 76-58, in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball game on Saturday night at the J.A. Albertson Center in Caldwell, Idaho

Junior Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS) hit a jumper to open the scoring but the Yotes responded back with seven straight, forcing the black-clad Geoducks to play from behind.  The differential hit double-digits for the first time with 10:49 left to play in the opening half after C of I’s Sienna Edmunson hit a three-pointer to give the Yotes the 23-13 lead.

Evergreen cut the Yote lead to single digits with 6:39 left to play but a 7-0 run put C of I up by 15 points at 36-21.  The Geoducks cut the gap to 11 points as the game neared halftime but Katelin Shannon was fouled at half-court as the buzzer sounded, giving the Yotes the opportunity at three more points and C of I converted on two free throws to take a 40-27 lead into the break.

As the second half began, the Geoducks put some pressure on the nationally-ranked Yotes but C of I had an answer for nearly every Evergreen run.    College of Idaho eventually began to pull away, pushing the lead to 21 following a layup by Felicity Jones with 3:01 left on the clock.  Evergreen tightened the gap slightly down the stretch but it wasn’t enough in the end, falling 76-58.

Evergreen was led by 14 points from Swain, who also added six rebounds for the Geoducks.  Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC) added 12 points to go with six assists while Jessica Denmon (Oak Harbor, Wash./Skagit Valley CC) chipped in 10 points.  The Geoducks were held without a three-pointer for the first time since Dec. 8, 2010 against Puget Sound.

College of Idaho was led by 19 points and 11 rebounds from Laura Geis.  Jones added 15 points in the win while Katelin Shannon finished with 12 points for the Yotes.  C of I did a great job hitting free throws, making 19 of 22 attempts for 86.4% from the charity stripe.

The Geoducks have one more game left to play before the new year as Evergreen plays host to Linfield in a non-conference game on Dec. 30, beginning at 4 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Evergreen Geoducks couldn’t find their shot as the ninth-ranked Eastern Oregon Mountaineers remained perfect in conference play, earning a 66-45 win in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball game on Friday night at Quinn Coliseum in La Grande, Ore.

The Mountaineers (14-2, 5-0 CCC) climbed out to the early lead, putting 11 points on the board before Evergreen (2-5, 2-2 CCC) managed a basket with 13:22 to go in the first half.  The Geoducks managed to pull within six near the seven minute mark but EOU outscored the visitors 15-2 over the final seven minutes to take a 36-17 lead into the break.

In the second half, the Geoducks came out strong, eventually cutting the gap to just 10 points with 9:08 left to go but Evergreen couldn’t get any closer as EOU stretched the lead again, eventually picking up the 66-45 win.

Evergreen was led by 17 points from Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC).  Junior Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS) added 10 points off the bench for the Geoducks, who shot just 27.9% on the night, connecting on 17-of-61 attempts.

Eastern Oregon was led by 15 points from Kelsea Hurliman.  Brooke Randall chipped in 11 points for the Mounties while Tina Miller led the EOU bench with 10 points on five of seven shooting.  The Mounties outrebounded the Geoducks, 47-39, on the night.

The Geoducks are back in action on Saturday night, taking on College of Idaho beginning at 5:30 p.m. MST in Caldwell, Idaho.

Box Score