EUGENE, Ore.  – The Northwest Christian University women's basketball team led by as many as eight points with 11 minutes remaining in the second half, but No. 13 Westmont College crawled their way back, winning 80-76 in NAIA cross-division action. Kristin Karr scored 26 points for the Warriors.
 
The Warriors (3-0), an NAIA Division I power out of the Golden State Athletic Conference, came out strong, jumping to a 9-2 lead, but began to wear down quickly as the fatigue of playing their fourth game in as many nights starting to become a factor. NCU took advantage of a number of Westmont turnovers, coming all the way back with a 9-0 run, taking their first lead of the game with 12:47 to play on a three-pointer by Carly Bigby.
 
The teams traded leads six times over the next eight minutes and with 5:11 to play Hannah Frederick (pictured) drove the lane for two points and the Beacons claimed a 23-22 lead. The NCU advantage held into the intermission as the Beacons were ahead 37-32.
 
Westmont committed 14 turnovers in the first half but made just four miscues in the second half as they made not one but two huge comebacks. NCU opened the second stanza with a shot-clock beating trey from Andrea Gloss to establish an eight –point lead. The Warriors clawed their way back with seven straight points to get within one. With 16:10 to play, Westmont even grabbed a brief lead, but after 12 seconds it was NCU up in front again on a pair of free-throws from Mindy Smith, making it a 45-44 game with 16 minutes remaining.
 
NCU once again stretch the margin to eight points after back-to-back three-point plays courtesy of Frederick and Sami Pitts. The 60-52 advantage slowly started to evaporate as the hot-shooting Warriors continued to apply the pressure. Eventually Westmont forced another tie at 67-67 before taking the lead for good on a jumper by Lauren Sende with 5:16 remaining.
 
The Beacons (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season despite shooting 47%. Westmont shot 49% and held a 40-29 advantage on the glass. Two NCU players fouled out late in the second half of a game that included a total of 53 fouls, many of which came off-ball.
 
NCU was led in the loss by Demarea Caples, scoring 16 points before fouling out with over five minutes remaining. Frederick finished with a season-high 15 points, adding six assists and Allie Kelsey added ten points, shooting 4-for-5 from the field. Senior Mindy Smith posted a career-high 10 points off the bench, going 2-for-2 from three-point range. Pitts ended the night with nine points and a game-high three steals.
 
Karr went 7-for-14 from the field and added nine free-throws for her 26-point evening, added three assists. Four players added ten points each for the Warriors, led by Sende and her double-double with 13 rebounds. Esther Lee, Aysia Shellmire, and Morgan Haskin also added a dime each.
 
Northwest Christian will return to action on Wednesday night with an exhibition game in Lacey, Washington against St. Martin's College at 6 p.m.