PORTLAND, Ore. – The Lewis & Clark Pioneers hosted the Puget Sound Loggers Friday night at Pamplin Sports Center, losing 69-66. The Pioneers played a thrilling game against the Loggers, with 10 lead changes and eight ties throughout the contest. No team led by more than 10 points.

Delsie Johnson's 24 points against the loggers brought her to 1004 career points in just three seasons. The senior shot 7-15 from the field and went 10-10 in free throws while adding 14 rebounds. Jessica Cerne, Karli Mukai and Charlotte Carroll each put up eight points. Carroll made 13 rebounds while Mukai added four assists.

Kennedy Brown led the scoring efforts for the Loggers with 23 on the night.

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Key Moments

Exchanging the lead for the majority of the game, the Loggers came out in the second quarter to hit two consecutive buckets in the key, forcing the Pioneers to call a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Johnson, who shot a perfect game from the free-throw line, hit two baskets to put the Pioneers behind by just one point. Johnson, who needed 20 points on the night to hit 1,000 career points, ended the first half just two points shy of the milestone. On the next drive, the Loggers tried for a three but were unsuccessful. Gabby Beltran inbounded the ball to Mukai who took it past half court and passed it to Natalie Elstone. Elstone drove to the basket to tie the game 36-36 with 3:25 left in the period. The teams went into the halftime break with the Loggers at a 45-42 advantage.

Puget Sound went on a 9-2 run early in the second half to go up 54-45 and were able to hold the Pioneers at a distance throughout the period. Johnson was fouled just over halfway through the period on a Loggers' inbound and made both free throws to hit 1,000 career points. 

The final period of the game was a tight back-and-forth. With 1:46 left in regulation, Beltran tied the game 64-64 with a made free throw. The Loggers responded with two buckets on their next two possessions. Carroll's critical jumper in the key with 57 seconds left kept the Pioneers within one basket at 66-68. With just 30 seconds remaining in the game, the Pioneers put up a flurry of shots but couldn't find the basket and were forced to foul Kennedy Brown. Brown made one of two to put the Loggers up by three. On their final possession, Beltran inbounded the ball to Johnson who shot an unsuccessful three-pointer as time ran out. 

Deeper Look

Eight seniors will be honored on Sat., Feb. 12

Looking Ahead

The Pioneers host Willamette on Fri., Feb. 11 for the first of their final two home games of the season. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. They host Pacific on Sat., Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. for senior night.