The Pioneer women earned their second conference victory on Saturday, January 17, as they defeated the Willamette Bearcats at home to advance to 2-4 in conference play and 8-7 overall.

The Pioneers got off to a slow start, allowing the Bearcats to a 17-8 lead in the first seven minutes of play. As the Bearcats found success from the floor shooting 41.7%, the Pioneers offense struggled to catch a break. L&C's numerous attempts to narrow the lead failed, unable to recover from their early deficit by the end of the half. The Pioneers entered halftime trailing by 12 at 32-20.

The second half featured a much improved Pioneer team, as they took off on an 18-2 run in the first nine minutes of play. The Pioneers had rallied back to their first tie of the game at 34-34 by the 15:35 mark, but they didn't stop there. The Pioneer defense would go on to shut out the Bearcats for the next five minutes. It wasn't until the 9:47 mark that the Bearcats earned another bucket, reviving their offense and fighting to regain their first half lead. But the Pioneer offense was determined to score as they dumped in 34 second half points. The L&C defense was at the top of its game, as they held Willamette to 17 second half points on 25.0% shooting from the floor. The Pioneers would hold on to capture the win at 54-49.

The Pioneers were led by Kim Kittell (jr., Tillamook, Ore.) with 18 points. Margaret Dowling (fr., Burlingame, Calif.) put up 12 points and tied her career best with 19 boards. Talerra Rich (jr., Los Alamos, Calif.) powered up to 10 points in the paint.

The Pioneers improve to 2-4 in conference and 8-7 overall with the victory as they hold on to their seventh place standing. They will return to play next Friday night, January 23, when they host the Whitworth Pirates at 6 pm.