The Pioneer women earned their first conference victory over the Pacific Boxers 62-56 in overtime on Saturday night, January 10, at Pamplin Sports Center (boxscore). The Pioneers entered the game with a record of 6-6 overall and 0-3 in conference play, while the Boxers were at 2-8 overall and 1-1 in conference.

Defense was the theme of the first half as both teams suffered occasional dry spells on offense. The Boxers got off to a strong start, holding a 13-5 lead at the 10:00 mark. But the Pioneers, who play well under a time crunch, slowly chipped away at the Boxer's eight point lead. With just four minutes remaining in the half the Pioneers began their offensive run, pulling within four points on a pair of lay-ups by Christina Herring (so., San Dimas, Calif.) and Kim Kittell (jr., Tillamook, Ore.). The Pioneers rallied their way back to within two points with 23 seconds remaining on a Talerra Rich turn-around jumper from the block, entering half-time at 22-20.

The Pioneer energy carried over into the second half, as they stole the Boxer-lead in the first three minutes of play and never looked back. The Pioneers tied the game for the first time at the 17:20 mark on a Herring jump-shot from the top of the key. On the very next possession the Pioneers would take their first lead of the game, as Kim Kittell earned a lay-up to put the Pioneers ahead 26-24. The next 17 minutes of the game belonged to the Pioneers, led by the outstanding play of freshman Margaret Dowling (Burlingame, Calif.), who earned 13 rebounds and 15 points in the second half. With just 20 seconds to go in the half, the Pioneers held a two point lead at 53-51 with possession of the ball under the Boxer basket. On the inbound pass, the Boxers would cause a deflection resulting in a jumpball and a Boxer possession under their own rim. The Boxers would go on to tie the score at 53-53 with just six seconds left in regulation time on an offensive rebound and a put-back. The half expired at 53-53.

In the five minute overtime period, the Pioneers continued their offensive success, outscoring the Boxers 9-3. The Boxers came within three points at the 1:29 mark, but the energy in the stadium favored the Pioneers, as the fans and bench were on their feet for the final minutes of play. The Pioneers held off the Boxers 62-56 to earn the victory.

Earning 18 offensive rebounds in 45 minutes of play, the Pioneers controlled the tempo of the game for the final 25 minutes, forcing the Boxers into 19 total turnovers and holding them to just 32.9% shooting from the floor.

The Pioneers received double-digit scoring from four players. Margaret Dowling led the Pioneers, earning a double-double with 17 points and an impressive 19 rebounds. Kim Kittell added 13 points and eight rebounds. Christina Herring contributed 12 points and Talerra Rich (jr., Los Alamos, N.M.) added 11 points to help guide the Pioneers to the win.

The Pioneers improved to 1-3 in conference and 7-6 overall with the win. They will return to play next Friday, January 16, when they travel to McMinnville, Oregon to take on the Linfield Wildcats.