PORTLAND | The Warner Pacific University Women's Basketball team (9-10, 7-7) found themselves back in the win column on Tuesday night, taking down crosstown conference rival Multnomah University (4-17, 4-10) and sweeping the Lions this season by defeating them 62-51.
 
Both these Warner Pacific and Multnomah squads have had to forfeit games this season due to Covid-19 issues within the programs, so the ability for each team to complete their season matchups against each other provided a silver lining in an otherwise difficult year up to this point.
 
Despite being tied at 16 points each after the first quarter, the Knights comfortably held the Lions to a lowly nine points in the entire second quarter, thanks in part to five forced turnovers, part of a 13 total for the first half alone. WPU took the second quarter to set up the offense, taking smart shots and forcing fouls to get to the free throw line.
 
Knights' junior guard Peyton Slaga came off the bench and absolutely took control in the second quarter, dropping double-digit points (10) and shooting perfect from the field with two three-pointers and four free-throws. Slaga outscored the entire Lions team in the second quarter, having by far her best solo game performance so far in the 2021-22 season.
 
Warner Pacific took a nine-point lead into the halftime break, but it felt like the Knights could have extended their lead even further in the first half. Even though the Knights were hitting more than 50% of their shots from behind the three-point arc (5-9 in the first half), they were unable to convert on multiple open looks in the paint and at the top of the key, resulting in a 40% field goal percentage for the first half.
 
The third quarter is when the Knights really kicked up the intensity, as they raced out of the locker room to go on an 11-4 run to open the quarter, forcing Multnomah Head Coach Tim Bieri to call timeout and completely swap out his starting lineup just 43 seconds in the second half.
 
Stretching their lead to a sizeable 15 points entering the fourth quarter, the Knights would go on to extend that lead as high as 19 points near the seven minute mark, and would rely on lockdown defense and free throws to ride out a Lions' 10-0 run throughout the final six minutes of the game.
 
Slaga finished the night with 13 points, hitting three of her five three-point attempts and all of her free throw attempts to set a new career-high with the Knights, while also bringing down five rebounds and snagging a pair of steals in her highest minute count of the season (22). Senior guard Courtney Jackson continued her Cascade Collegiate Conference dominance, scoring a game-high 16 points and adding three assists and a pair of rebounds in her usual starting role.
 
Warner Pacific wasn't the only team to benefit from a player coming off the bench, as Lions' guard Kianna Ponce posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in a reserve role. Fellow Multnomah guards Alaygza Portis and Dalila Rincan each score 12 points in the Lions' efforts, with Rincan dishing out a game-high five assists.
 
Warner Pacific Women's Basketball will take a few days to recuperate before hosting the Walla Walla University Wolves on Friday in an early afternoon contest, with tipoff set for 12pm PDT. As a reminder, Warner Pacific University has made the decision to not allow outside fans for this week of home games, in an attempt to lower the increase in recent COVID-19 cases. All games will be available to stream and view live stats for free at www.wpuknights.com.