OLYMPIA, Wash. – In a game where neither team could find their shot, the Southern Oregon Raiders held off the Evergreen Geoducks, 51-41, in a Cascade Conference women’s basketball contest on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.
In the first half, the Raiders (12-7, 3-5 CCC) got off to an early 5-1 lead but the Geoducks (4-13, 2-6 CCC) quickly closed the gap and the two squads see-sawed most of the half. Southern Oregon used one of the two free throws by Angelica Cahee to take a two-point lead into the break at 24-22. In the first half, the two teams combined to miss 16 free throws and turn the ball over a combined 38 times as both teams had a chance to win in the final 20 minutes.
The score continued to stay close in the second half before the Raiders were able to push the lead to seven at the 10:49 mark following a fast-break basket by RaTanya Newsome. The Geoducks were dealt a blow at the 10:23 mark when sophomore Danielle Swain (Rainier, Wash./Black Hills HS) was whistled for her fifth foul, putting her on the bench for the remainder of the game. The SOU lead hit double-digits with 5:10 left on the clock as Haley Newell put the ball in the basket to put the Raiders ahead, 45-34.
Evergreen managed to cut the gap to four on a layup by Sami Clark (Monroe, Wash./Edmonds CC) with 2:04 left to play but the baskets wouldn’t fall as Southern Oregon held on for the 51-41 win. The teams finished with 55 turnovers between them and neither team shot about 45% in any of the shooting categories.
The Geoducks were led by 15 points from Clark, who also added nine rebounds and five steals in the loss. Jessica Edge (Lake Stevens, Wash./Skagit Valley CC) added seven points with a game-high 10 rebounds and four blocks. Evergreen held a slight advantage in rebounds over the Raiders, 51-50.
Southern Oregon was led by 13 points from Newell, who finished with three of her five baskets from behind the arc. Cahee chipped in 11 for the Raiders while the SOU bench chipped in for a combined 18 points from four different players.
Evergreen will look to break back into the win column on Saturday night when they play host to Oregon Tech. Tip with the Owls is set for 5:30 pm at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.
