Arlington, VA – George Fox University's Kylin Coilman and Hailey Hartney combined for 35 points as the Bruins pulled away from Montclair State in the second half for a 74-49 victory in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship at Marymount University on Friday evening.

Cassidy Posey added 11 points for the Bruins (22-6), who advance to Saturday's second round against the winner of the Gettysburg College – Marymount matchup. The winner of Saturday's game moves on to the Sectional Tournament on March 13-14.

Freshman guard NICKIE CARTER led the way with 17 points for MSU, which ended its season at 21-7. The Red Hawks were making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight seasons. Junior guard TAYLOR BROWN tallied 15 points while KAYLA BUSH added six points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

George Fox got off to a flying start scoring 12 of the game's first 14 points in the first 3:46 of the contest. Brown connected from three-point range to pull MSU within 12-5. However, six consecutive points the Bruins pushed the lead back to 18-5 with 2:48 to go in the opening quarter. ALEX MCKINNON countered with a three, and a field goal by Carter trimmed the lead back t 18-10 in the final two minutes before an Emily Spencer three-pointer put the Bruins up 21-10 after the first quarter.

The Red Hawks tallied the first five points of the second, drawing within 21-15 on a Bush layup. After trading baskets, MSU found itself still down six before George Fox registered the next eight points, taking a 31-18 advantage on a Kaylee Bishop three with 3:27 left before halftime. Holder would give the Bruins their largest lead of the half a 38-22. Carter got a basket back for Montclair as the Red Hawks headed into the locker room trailing 38-24.

MSU was able to carve away the Bruins' lead in the third, drawing within 46-39 with 3:07 on a Brown three-pointer. But George Fox ended the quarter on a 12-0 run, capped by Hartney's three-pointer giving the Bruins a 58-39 lead heading into the fourth.

Brown got Montclair on the board quickly with a three-pointer, but George Fox scored the next 11 points to take a 69-42 lead. Collman had the final five points in the spurt, including a three-pointer as the Bruins held the Red Hawks scoreless for over five minutes.

Senior guard CERYS MACLELLAND finished with six points, six rebounds, and seven assists in her final game with the Red Hawks. Fellow senior McKinnon contributed five points and seven rebounds. MacLelland, who averaged 9.2 rebounds per game this season, ended the year with 154 assists, the ninth-best season total in program history. Meanwhile, McKinnon finished her career at No. 20 on the all-time scoring list with 1,018 points.