Willamette Crushes William Jessup, 78-59

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Katelyn Nordlien (Fr., Wing, Salem, OR/North Salem HS) recorded her first collegiate double-double for Willamette University to lead the Bearcats to a 78-59 rout of William Jessup University (Calif.) at Cone Field House on Thursday, Dec. 8. Nordlien scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to go with two assists and three steals.

The victory was the first of the season for Willamette, now 1-6 overall. William Jessup remained winless at 0-10. The Bearcats compete in NCAA Division III while the Warriors compete in NAIA Division II.

Nordlien connected on 6 of 10 field goals and made 5 of 6 free throws in 21 minutes on the court. She was well on her way to a double-double at halftime with six points and six rebounds.

Joining Nordlien in double figures for Willamette was Rebecca Josephson (So., Wing, Fair Oaks, CA/Del Campo HS), who tallied 14 points and hit 7 of 13 field goals. Josephson also earned three assists and one steal.

Cassie Davidson paced the Warriors with a game-high 18 points to go with three rebounds and four steals. Maria Viola earned 14 points and led all players with six steals and two blocked shots. Alyssa Wright also chipped in 14 points William Jessup.

William Jessup led 2-0 after Davidson recorded the game's first basket, but Willamette never trailed again. The Bearcats answered with an 8-0 run and extended their advantage to 21-10 with 11:09 left in the half. Willamette held a 33-19 lead after Sophie Wilson (Jr., G, Port Townsend, WA/Port Townsend HS) hit the fist of two free throws with 5:34 on the clock.

The Bearcats claimed their largest lead of the half at the 2:17 mark, when a layup by Nordlien gave Willamette a 39-23 margin. WU also led by 16 points following a layup by Katie Kalugin (Fr., Wing, Woodburn, OR/Woodburn HS) with 1:05 remaining. William Jessup pulled within 41-28 when Davidson stole the ball with only a few seconds left and sank a half-court shot as time expired.

As in the first half, the Warriors achieved the first basket of the second half. The jumper by Kaitlin Lewis cut Willamette's lead to 41-30, but the Warriors never got closer. WU surged out to a 49-30 lead at the 15:51 mark.

Williams Jessup trailed 54-36 with 11:20 left, but used a 9-4 run to reduce the margin to 13 points, 58-45, with 9:09 to go. It appeared the visitors might gain momentum, but Willamette's Dora Rabih (Sr., F, Denver, CO/John F. Kennedy HS/Arizona Western Coll.) sank the front end of a one-and-one free throw at the 8:18 mark to spark a 6-0 run.

Willamette received a strong night from many of its players. A total of 11 Bearcats scored during the contest, including six with seven or more points. Jojo DeLong (Fr., PG, Santa Clarita, CA/Canyon HS) provided nine points on 3 of 3 field goals (1 for 1 on 3-pointers) and a 2-for-2 effort at the free throw line. Westermann finished with eight points and went 6 for 6 at the line.

The Bearcats shot 46.4% for the game (26 of 56), including a 52.0% (13 of 25) in the first half. Willamette made just 1 of 9 three-pointers, but converted 25 of 34 free throws (73.5%).

WU limited the Warriors to 40.7% shooting (22 of 54). William Jessup sank 4 of 10 three-pointers and made 11 of 12 free throws. The Warriors were called for 27 fouls.

Both teams lost the ball 25 times during the game. Willamette finished with a 23-20 edge in points off turnovers.

Up next for the Bearcats is a game at Oregon Institute of Technology on Saturday, Dec. 10. Game time in Klamath Falls, Ore., is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (PST).