PORTLAND – Pacific Lutheran nearly overcame a double-digit halftime deficit early in the second half, but Lewis & Clark scored 16 consecutive points to pull away to a 69-55 Northwest Conference women's basketball victory Friday night at Pamplin Sports Center.

With the loss, Pacific Lutheran falls to 7-11 overall and 3-6 in Northwest Conference play, while Lewis & Clark improves to 10-8 overall and 5-4 in the NWC. The Lutes return to action Saturday, taking on No. 7 George Fox in Newberg, Ore., at 6 p.m.

Samantha Potter and Katelyn Smith tied for the PLU team lead with 12 points apiece, and Potter added 12 rebounds to post a double-double. As a team, the Lutes shot 37.7 percent (20-of-53) from the field and added 12 makes on 16 free throw attempts.

Katie Anderson led Lewis & Clark with 15 points, and Ayisat Afolabi added 13 for the Pioneers. Tayler Wang filled up the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals. The Pioneers shot 44.0 percent (22-50) overall and finished 21-of-31 from the free throw line.

Megan Abdo hit a layup to open the game and give the Lutes a brief lead, but Casey Zinn tied it up a minute later for the Pioneers. Lewis & Clark slowly extended its lead into double-figures and held a 35-23 advantage going into halftime.

The Lutes rallied back early in the second half, as Potter made a layup and Smith scored six straight points for PLU. A Sarah Barnes jumper pulled PLU within four at 39-35, but the Pioneers scored the next five points to push back to a nine-point advantage. Four straight points for the Lutes made it 44-39 with 12:24 to play, but the Lutes did not score another point for more than six minutes.

An Anderson jumper sparked a 16-point run over that stretch, as Lewis & Clark took a 21-point lead with 6:21 remaining in the contest. A Potter free throw and Abdo three-pointer ended the run and the Lutes scored 12 of the next 15 points, but the deficit was too great as the Pioneers closed out the 14-point win.