ASHLAND, Ore. – After a tight first half that saw 12 lead changes, the Southern Oregon Raiders used a 20-4 run to open the second half as they shot past the Evergreen Geoducks, 74-62, in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball game on Friday night in Ashland, Ore.
The first half featured a see-saw battle as neither team was able to hold much of an advantage as SOU took the 32-28 lead into the break. The Geoducks were led by 12 points from junior Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS) as they trailed by just four at the break.
The second half was a whole different story as the Raiders came out shooting, pushing the advantage to double-digits with 14:35 left to play on a layup by Melissa Sweat that put SOU up, 43-32. The lead hit 20 just a few minutes later as Evergreen struggled to put the ball in the basket.
The Geoducks finished the game on a high note, going on a 10-2 run over the final 3:17 but it was too little, too late as the Raiders earned the 74-62 win.
Evergreen was led by 18 points from Swain, who found herself in foul trouble that limited her second half minutes. Jessica Denmon (Oak Harbor, Wash./Skagit Valley CC) added 13 points to go with eight rebounds while Sammi Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC) added 12 points in the losing effort.
Southern Oregon was led by 20 points from Alexi Smith. Allison Gida added 14 points while Carly Meister came off the bench to added 10 points in the win. The Raiders shot 51.7% on the night, making 30-of-58 attempts.
The Geoducks will look to recover on Saturday night when they travel to Klamath Falls to take on Oregon Tech. Tip with the Owls is set for 5:30 p.m.