PORTLAND, Ore. — Lewis & Clark College women's basketball closed its weekend with a 77-72 loss to Northwest University on Sunday afternoon at Pamplin Sports Center.
 
THE BASICS
 
Northwest 77, Lewis & Clark 72
(Lewis & Clark 1-2)
(Northwest 1-3)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First-year Hailey Perez and sophomore Kaitlen Carns each scored 16 points to lead the River Otters. Perez went five for six from the field, including three three-pointers. Carns made 11 of 12 free throws and posted a team-high five assists. First-years Lilly Jordan and Ali McCauley added nine and seven points, respectively, while juniors Kaela Guidry and Lauryn Frederickson each totaled six points. Frederickson paced the River Otters with nine rebounds as Carns added six and junior Divinity Singleton grabbed five boards.
 
Northwest opened the game with a strong run and held a 20-7 lead after one quarter. The Eagles forced 10 turnovers in the period and turned several into transition points. Perez hit an early free throw for Lewis & Clark's only points in the opening five minutes. Junior DJ Kendrick and McCauley added a jumper and a layup before first-year Ky Roussin hit a late jumper to cut the margin to 19-7. Northwest added a free throw in the final seconds.
 
Lewis & Clark answered with its highest-scoring quarter of the season, outscoring Northwest 26-13 in the second and tying the score several times. Guidry opened the run with a layup at 9:08. Jordan and Carns followed with a layup and a three-pointer to trim the deficit to 22-14. McCauley hit a three from the right corner to make it 24-19. Junior Divinity Singleton came up with a steal, Carns assisted on her layup, and Perez hit three free throws to complete an 11-0 stretch.
 
Northwest briefly regained the lead, but the River Otters kept pressing. Carns made two free throws with 1:15 left in the half, and Jordan converted a driving layup with 20 seconds on the clock for a 33-31 advantage. Northwest tied the game on two free throws just before halftime.
 
The Eagles regained momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Lewis & Clark 24-18. The River Otters kept the deficit within six and tied the score twice after falling behind by five. Perez hit two threes off turnovers, and Carns grabbed five rebounds in the period.
 
Lewis & Clark made another push in the fourth. Carns made four early free throws, and Frederickson scored on a jumper to cut the margin to 58-57. Guidry finished inside at 7:24 to give the River Otters their first lead since late in the second quarter, 59-58. Perez hit her third three of the day, and Jordan added a three to put Lewis & Clark ahead 67-64 with five minutes left.
 
Northwest regained the lead in the closing minutes. Kaleah Madeiros hit a pull-up jumper to make it 71-69, and Adriana Milanez connected on a three with one minute remaining for a 74-71 advantage. The Eagles made three of six free throws in the final minute, and Carns made the last of two attempts with 0.3 seconds left for the final score.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

• Carns went 17 for 20 at the line over the weekend and is shooting 85.7 percent through three games.
• Frederickson leads Lewis & Clark with 10.3 rebounds per game.
• Carns leads the team with 11.7 points per game, followed by Perez at 11.0.
• After committing 10 turnovers in the first quarter, Lewis & Clark limited itself to nine the rest of the game and held a 19-17 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The River Otters were 48 for 68 from the line this weekend and are shooting 73.6 percent through three games.
• Lewis & Clark has scored 70 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark hosts Walla Walla University on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. for game four of its five-game homestand at Pamplin Sports Center.