Box Score PORTLAND, Ore. -- Wrapping up a four-year career, Kaitlin Mathewson stepped off the Pamplin Sports Center floor on Saturday night and, with tears in her eyes, proceeded to hug each of her coaches and teammates as she left her final game for Lewis & Clark with five seconds left.
Mathewson ended the game with two points and six rebounds, both below her career-high season averages, as the Pioneers lost 68-63 to the Pacific Boxers.
Her senior journey found her unexpectedly solo after classmate Sarah Anderson, whose No. 10 jersey Mathewson wore for the season, suffered a season-ending injury before any of the Pios' games. Combined with injuries and roster changes throughout the season, Mathewson was playing almost six more minutes per game than her junior season, but it paid off, as she scored 7.7 points and brought in 6.2 rebounds per game, three more in both categories than a year ago.
Mathewson's lone field goal on Saturday was off a nifty Natalie Kelly pass in the lane, and it gave the Pioneers a 4-2 lead. 3-pointers from Kelly, Miyah Leith and Sarah Hogman eventualy grew the edge to six at the end of the first quarter, 20-14.
Near the halfway point of the second quarter, Lewis & Clark's lead had grown 27-17, as Kelly scored 13 first half points, including 3-pointers in the final seconds of each quarter. Her triple at the end of the second lessened the effect of Pacific's end-of-quarter rally that closed the gap to just two, and instead made it 34-29 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Pacific scored the first seven points to take the lead, eventually outscoring the Pios in the quarter 20-7, giving the Boxers a 49-41 lead entering the fourth. Sarah Curl and Kyla Siri, who combined for 38 points in the game, had 10 together in the third.
Cianna Ochoco hit 3-pointers twice in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, bringing the Pios back within four. Following a Leith layup with 4:10 remaining, Lewis & Clark used free throws to regain the lead momentarily, before Karli McHone's 3-pointer with 1:56 left moved the Boxers back ahead. Other than an Ochoco three, completing her 4 for 4 performance from beyond the arc with three in the period, the Pios didn't score again, and Pacific closed out the win.
Kelly finished with 15 points, followed by Leith, Hogman and Ochoco's 12 apiece. Hogman made 3 of 5 shots and went 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. Ayisat Afolabi scored seven points and had 12 rebounds, a game high. Rachel Cox went 1 of 3 from the floor, had four rebounds and three points off the bench.
As a team, the Pios shot 9 of 15, or 60 percent, from 3-point range. 19 turnovers by Lewis & Clark led to 21 Pacific points, although the Pios scored 14 off 10 of Pacific's giveaways.
Lewis & Clark was attempting to win back-to-back games for the first time this season, after Mathewson had 10 points in the Pios' 73-64 road win at Willamette on Friday night. The loss to Pacific was Lewis & Clark's 11th by fewer than 10 points this season.
Still, as the pregame presentation for Mathewson stated, the lone senior was an on-court presence her entire time with Lewis & Clark, and she's been a critical piece to the movement of the program forward in Asha Jordan's second year as head coach.
Other Northwest Conference Games - Saturday
Puget Sound 72, Whitman 65
Whitworth 83, Pacific Lutheran 63
George Fox 71, Linfield 61
