Bellevue College women’s basketball appeared ready to pull a stunning upset but lost steam in the second half, losing to Walla Walla 49-44 in the opening round of the Lower Columbia Holiday Classic in Longview, WA.
The Bulldogs jumped out 17-7 in the first quarter as the Warriors were cold from the perimeter, shooting 30%. BC then stretched it out to a commanding 29-16 halftime lead. The undefeated Warriors (9-0) and perennial contender at the NWAC Championships, were in shock as they were easily being outmatched by Bellevue.
Unfortunately on Bellevue’s end, the cold streak fell on BC in the third quarter as Walla Walla outscored Bellevue 22-5 to take a four point lead. Bellevue was just one-for-12 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three-point range to swing the momentum to Walla Walla.
After falling behind by as much as 10 points in the fourth, BC made a run and closed the gap to 46-44 on a field goal by Sav Huerta with 2:11 to go but the Warriors were able to fend off the ‘dogs down the stretch.
Huerta led the Bulldogs with 20 points and three assists while McKayla Rodriguez pulled down nine rebounds. Gwen Aasland and Kristina Blauman had seven rebounds in the balanced effort underneath.
Bellevue is now 7-3 and will continue tourney action tomorrow in Longview.
Last Updated December 28, 2022
