Portland, Ore. – Lewis & Clark women's basketball put together their best performance in the season in a narrow 66-59 conference loss to Pacific University in their 2022-23 Northwest Conference opener.  
 
THE BASICS
Pacific 65, Lewis & Clark 59 
(Lewis & Clark 0-6, 0-1 NWC)
(Pacific 5-1, 1-0 NWC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Lewis & Clark posted their best shooting performance of the season, tied their season-low for points allowed and had balanced scoring with six players posting six points or more.  
 
Junior Jamison Richards led the Pioneers in scoring with 15 points and four assists, which ties their career best. They scored five of the team's ten points in the first quarter. Juniors Karli Mukai and Natalie Elstone scored 11 points each and dished out three assists apiece. Elstone tied her career-high in points, steals (3), and baskets made from the charity stripe (5) against the Boxers. She also hit a career-best two shots from beyond the arc. 
 
Piper Curry played in her first game of the season for Lewis & Clark. The sophomore led the Pioneers on the boards with a career-high seven rebounds. She had a career-high eight points off 3-5 shooting and 2-3 from long range. Curry also had career-highs in assists, steals, and blocks, with two each. 
 
Senior Kendal Jones tied her career-scoring with eight points on 4-6 shooting. Six of their eight points game in the second half. Jones pulled down six rebounds and had one steal for the Pios. Junior Charlotte Carroll also pulled down six rebounds and chipped in six points while shooting 3-4 from the floor. 
 
After struggling in the first quarter in both games this past weekend, Lewis & Clark went into the second quarter tied with the Boxers at 10. Pacific used a late run at the end of the half to grab a 26-22 advantage at halftime.
 
The visitors extended their lead out to 10 points (40-30) midway through the third quarter, only for the Pioneers to go on an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to three. Mukai, Curry and Elstone all knocked down threes and Jones hit a 10-foot jumper to bring the Pioneers with three.
 
Pacific led by seven points on two occasions early in the fourth quarter only for Lewis & Clark to trim the deficit to one possession with 2:23 to play. Charlotte Carroll hit a jumper in the lane and Richards hit a free throw to make it 57-54.
 
Emily Holsan put the game out of reach. The Pacific sophomore hit a pair of free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound to extend a possession and then added a layup to make it 61-54 with 1:12 left. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark shot a season-best 40 percent from the field (22-55), 38.9 percent from distance (7-18) and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (8-12).
• Richards has scored in double digits for five of the Pios' six games this season. 
• Mukai has scored at least 11 points in four games to start the season. 
• Freshman Emily Newton pulled down two rebounds against Pacific. 
• The Pios had 61.5% field goal shooting and 75% from three in the third quarter. 

WHO'S NEXT

The Pioneers play their last conference game of 2022, when they travel to Willamette on Friday for a 6 p.m. tip-off.