PORTLAND, Ore. - The Cal Lutheran women's basketball team got its season underway with a near upset over No. 4 George Fox on Friday night, falling in the final seconds 71-69, before turning right around and defeating Lewis & Clark 79-65 on Saturday.
Squaring off against the 2015 National Runner-Up Bruins, the Regals jumped out to an early lead and took an 18-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Jessica Salottolo knocked down her first two shots for the Violet and Gold who spread the ball around effectively in the first half.
The Regals extended their lead to 10 points during the second quarter but George Fox would mount a 13-2 run to get back in the game. At the break, CLU would hold a four-point lead, 36-32, in a balanced effort with five different Regals having scored at least five points.
In the second half, the two teams would go back-and-forth until the Bruins took a 10-point lead of their own with 4:23 remaining in the game. Salottolo kept the Regals in the game with a jumper, followed by a Chelsea Jacoby lay-up, and a three-pointer from Salottolo to cut the Bruins lead to three, 64-61.
George Fox countered with a three-pointer but a pair of Haley Hodgson free throws and yet another downtown shot from Salottolo made it a one-point game.
With 13 seconds left in the game, Justine Benner hit a pair of free-throws to give the Bruins a 69-66 lead.
With just 11 seconds remaining, Trianna Owen came up clutch for the Regals with a three-pointer to tie the game but on the next George Fox possession, Kimberly Frost drove to the lane and flipped a shot up and in to cap off a dramatic victory.
Salottolo led CLU with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from downtown, and Taylor Messick added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Violet and Gold. Hodgson also finished in double-figures with 10 points while Jacoby filled up the stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
In the second game of the Regals two-day trip, CLU downed Lewis & Clark 79-65 behind a 23-point performance from Jacoby and 16 points from Messick.
The Pioneers held an early 20-16 lead after the first quarter, but the Regals used a 21-9 advantage in the second frame to turn the game in their favor and go up 37-29 at the half.
Messick came out hot in the second half with six quick points and helped CLU extended its lead to 16 points, its largest of the game. The Regals would hold on to their large lead and secure their first victory of the season. Cal Lutheran shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-for-54) while holding Lewis & Clark to 37.7 percent (23-for-61).
Hodgson and Salottolo joined Jacoby and Messick in double-figures with 10 points apiece and Sofia Cruz had a strong game with eight points, six assists and four rebounds. Katy Lindor tied with Jacoby and Messick for a team-high seven rebounds.
Grace Derksen, Tatiana Dunlap and Liana Minassian each made their CLU debuts on the trip.
Cal Lutheran (1-1) returns to the court next Wednesday, Nov. 25 on the road at the Master's College at 2:00 p.m. The first home game for the Regals will be on Wednesday, Dec. 2 against Westmont at 7:00 p.m.
Box Score: GFU 71, CLU 69
Box Score: CLU 79, LC 65
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