PORTLAND, Ore.—Seniors Karli Mukai and Charlotte Carroll each posted one of their best games of the season to help keep Lewis & Clark women's basketball within striking distance all night long against league-leading Willamette University on Monday night. 

THE BASICS
Willamette University 71, Lewis & Clark 58
(Lewis & Clark 3-13, Northwest Conference 1-7) 
(Willamette 10-7, NWC 7-1) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Pioneers played one of their most competitive games of the season against the Bearcats. Lewis & Clark played strong defense throughout, outrebounded the Bearcats and stayed within three possessions until a late 10-1 Willamette run. 
 
Mukai finished with a season-high 17 points to lead the Pioneers. The senior point guard knocked down three of the Pioneers four 3-pointers and finished 6-15 from the field to go along with two assists. 
 
Carroll posted her first double-double of the season. The senior recorded 12 points and a season-high 13 rebounds (four offensive). 
 
Freshman Lauryn Frederickson and senior Jamison Richards tied for third on the team with eight points apiece. The duo combined for 13 rebounds and five assists. 
 
Willamette's Elyse Waldal registered a game-high 18 points on 6-9 shooting. She hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and made all three of her free throw attempts. 
 
Ava Kitchin (12 points), Megan River (11 points) and Kaitlin Imai (11 points) all joined Waldal in double-figures. With the win, Willamette joins Pacific atop the Northwest Conference Standings at the midway point of the season at 7-1.  
 
Willamette threatened to run away with the game multiple times in the first three quarters but every time they stretched their advantage to nine or 10 points Lewis & Clark responded. 
 
The Bearcats opened up their first nine-point advantage late in the first quarter when Imai hit a free throw (21-12) with 25 seconds left. Mukai hit a deep 3-pointer with under 10 seconds remaining to cut it to six points. Out of the quarter break, Frederickson hit a pair of jumpers to cap off the 7-0 run to make it 21-19 with 7:19 to go before halftime. 
 
The game would stay tight for the next five minutes before Willamette pushed their advantage to a first-half high 10 points (35-25) with a minute to go in the half. Mukai cut the deficit to seven with a 3-point play and then Frederickson stepped into the passing lane to steal a Bearcats pass and hit a fast-break layup to make it 35-30 at halftime. 
 
Lewis & Clark pulled within two early in the second half on a Richards 3-pointer 2:27 into the third quarter. 
 
Willamette used a 7-0 run to make it 44-35 and held three separate nine-point leads during the quarter including a 52-43 advantage at the end of the stanza. 
 
The Pioneers wouldn't go away so easily. Lewis & Clark opened the fourth on a 7-1 flurry to cut the Bearcats lead to 53-50. Mukai opened the stanza with a triple and Carroll added a layup. After a Willamette free throw, Carroll added a layup off a Natalie Elstone assist to bring the Pioneers back within three with 8:56 left in regulation. 
 
Lewis & Clark would get within three one more time but Willamette would never let them get any closer. With the Pioneers down 59-54 with 5:22 to play, the Bearcats used their 10-1 run to put the game out of reach. By the time Mukai drained a 3-pointer with 1:19 to play, Lewis & Clark found themselves down 69-58 and time ultimately ran out at their comeback efforts. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

• Mukai's 17 points were a season-high and her most points since scoring 24 against Pacific Lutheran University on February 10, 2023. 
• Lewis & Clark held an edge on Willamette in several categories. The Pioneers shot a season-high 87.5 percent from the free throw line (14-16), while Willamette finished 8-14. Lewis & Clark pulled down 39 rebounds to Willamette's 37 and earned an 11-3 edge on offensive rebounds and 10-3 lead in second-chance points. Lewis & Clark also earned a 6-4 edge in fast-break points. 
• Carroll recorded her first double-double of the season on Monday. She had previously posted two games with double-digit points and nine rebounds. As a junior, Carroll led the Pioneers with 10 double-doubles. 
• Elstone recorded five points and two rebounds. Kaela Guidry and Emily Newton added four points apiece.  

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will start the second half of the conference season on Friday in McMinnville. The Pioneers will play Linfield University at 6 p.m.