GREENSBORO (Interstat) — Western Oregon held off a late Willamette charge and defeated the Bearcats 68-64 in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game on Monday at Hanes Gym in Greensboro, N.C. The non-divisional contest drew an announced attendance of 60. Willamette, the visiting team, dropped to 0-1.

Willamette scored 24 points in the fourth quarter after scoring nine in the first, 18 in the second and 13 in the third. Western Oregon scored 18 in the fourth, 20 in the first, 10 in the second and 20 in the third. Willamette finished with 64 points from 76 possessions and an offensive rating of 84.0. The Bearcats had five offensive rebounds, four assists and 19 turnovers. They scored 18 points in the paint and 16 points off turnovers. Western Oregon scored 28 points in the paint and 20 points off turnovers.

Western Oregon built an early edge behind Zada White’s outside shooting and Jayleen Bello’s work in the paint. Willamette countered with Sydney Chesnut’s two first-quarter 3-pointers and Daisy Boling-Schmidt’s late inside scoring. The Bearcats trailed at halftime but stayed within striking distance. In the third quarter, Kait Carns’ 3-pointer and Selena Espinoza’s 3-point jump shot helped Willamette move ahead briefly. Western Oregon responded with Bello’s layups and free throws and Danae Asiata’s late layup to regain the lead. Jordyn Reed’s floating jumper kept Willamette close entering the fourth.

The decisive stretch came in the final minutes. Zada White’s driving layup with 1:43 remaining gave Western Oregon a 66-57 lead. Willamette answered with Aspen Vanderveen’s 3-point jump shot with 30 seconds left and Vanderveen’s jumper off a turnover with 17.2 seconds to play. Kait Carns’ floating jump shot with 3.1 seconds remaining pulled Willamette within 66-64. Miquedah Taliman then made two free throws with two seconds left to seal Western Oregon’s win.

Kait Carns led Willamette with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. The 5-foot-4 guard from Oregon City, Ore., previously played at Oregon City High School. Jordyn Reed, a 5-foot-11 forward, added 10 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes. Daisy Boling-Schmidt, a 6-foot center who previously played at Oregon City, had nine points, eight rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes. Aspen Vanderveen, a 5-foot-11 forward who previously played at Monroe High School, contributed 10 points and five rebounds in 17 minutes. Allie Carns, a 5-foot-7 guard who previously played at Oregon City High School, had five points, four rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. Selena Espinoza, a 5-foot-2 guard who previously played at Everett High School, added four points, three rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes. Sydney Chesnut, a 5-foot-4 guard who previously played at Bishop Gorman High School, scored six points with two rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes. Mattie Thompson, a 6-foot-2 center, had four points and two rebounds in 12 minutes. Syd Shoemaker, a 5-foot-10 forward who previously played at Robert McQueen, played four minutes.

Western Oregon secured the non-divisional home victory after Willamette’s fourth-quarter push cut the deficit to two in the final seconds. The Bearcats forced late turnovers and converted enough offense to make the closing sequence matter, but Western Oregon made the final free throws to close it out. The Bearcats’ fourth-quarter offense included 3-point shooting from Vanderveen and a floating jumper from Kait Carns, but Western Oregon protected the lead at the foul line. Willamette’s record stands at 0-1 after the season opener. The Bearcats return to action in their next scheduled game. The final free throws capped the scoring and sealed the outcome for Western Oregon.