WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Kaylie McCracken put up a double double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Korin Baker added eight points and nine rebounds and the No. 8 Whitman College women's basketball team started slow but finished strong in a 65-48 win over Linfield in Northwest Conference play on Wednesday night.

Kaelan Shamseldin added 12 points for the Blues (14-1, 6-0 NWC) who raced out to a 16-4 lead, looking to run away with the expected win. Linfield stemmed the tide though, holding the Blues to only four points over the final 2:43 minutes of the first quarter.

Linfield opened the second period with six unanswered points and were on the verge of tying the game. Emma Schmerbach hit three straight shots to shave the Whitman lead to 22-20 with 5:41 to play until halftime. The Wildcats later took their first lead, but the Blues responded to close the half with 10 unanswered points. Shamseldin scored at the buzzer and Whitman headed to the locker room up 36-25.

While the second half wasn't pretty, the Blues slowly pulled away for the victory. Taylor Chambers, McCracken and Baker all scored early in the quarter as the lead swelled to 43-26 with 6:16 to play. Gillyan Landis slowed the momentum with a three pointer, but the Wildcats would hit from the field only twice more as the Blues took a 14-point lead into the final quarter.

Carly Martin and Shamseldin all but sealed the win in the fourth quarter. Both hit from three on back-to-back possessions as Whitman took a 20-point lead with 3:52 to play. 

Schmerbach and Jordan Worthington led the Wildcats each with 11 points and Elyse Waldal chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.

Next up for the Blues is a visit to George Fox this Friday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.