PORTLAND, Ore. — In a hard-fought Northwest Conference matchup, Lewis & Clark College women's basketball came up just short against Willamette University, falling 61-58 on Tuesday night at Pamplin Sports Center.

THE BASICS

Willamette 61, Lewis & Clark 58
(Lewis & Clark 4-14, 1-8 NWC)
(Willamette 7-11, 4-5 NWC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Madilyn Palosi led the Pioneers with her first career double-double. The sophomore posted 17 points and a collegiate-best 11 rebounds. Tatiana Rebanal, a junior, and sophomores Divinity Singleton and Lauryn Frederickson each added eight points.

Sophomore DJ Kendrick finished with six points, six rebounds, a team-high four assists and two steals. First-year Kaitlen Carns chipped in six points, while sophomore Isabella Bernard rounded out the scoring with five points.

Lewis & Clark started strong, using an 8-2 run in the first quarter to establish an early advantage. Kendrick knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Pioneers an early lead, and Palosi added a mid-range jumper to extend the margin. The Pioneers held the Bearcats to 15.8% shooting (3-for-15) in the opening 10 minutes and 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, taking an 18-9 lead after one quarter.

Willamette responded in the second quarter as Kaitlin Imai (14 points) and Elyse Waldal (21 points) found their rhythm from deep. The Bearcats outscored the Pioneers 22-11 in the period, with Imai hitting a crucial 3-pointer with nine seconds left to give Willamette a 31-29 halftime lead.

The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team leading by more than three points. The teams exchanged the lead six times and were tied three times. Rebanal and Bernard combined for 11 of Lewis & Clark's 19 points, helping the Pioneers outscore Willamette in the frame, but the Bearcats hit a layup at the buzzer to take a 49-48 lead into the fourth.

Back-to-back layups by Carns and Palosi to start the fourth gave Lewis & Clark a 52-49 advantage, but Willamette reclaimed the lead at 55-54 with 3:40 left. The Bearcats extended their advantage to 59-54 with just over a minute remaining, but the Pioneers refused to back down. Palosi converted inside, and Kendrick came up with a crucial steal that led to another basket, closing the gap to one possession. However, two Willamette free throws in the final seconds sealed the win.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Pioneers outrebounded Willamette 46-41, led by Palosi's 11 boards.
• Lewis & Clark recorded 12 assists, with Kendrick leading the way with four while Carns, Rebanal and Fredericks had two each.
• The Pios outscored Willamette 34-20 in the paint.
• The last two matchups between the Pioneers and Bearcats have been decided by a combined seven points.

WHO'S NEXT

Lewis & Clark returns to action on Friday night, traveling to Pacific for an 8:00 p.m. NWC matchup.