WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Lewis & Clark knocked down 17 of 25 second-half free throws and rallied past Whitman College 64-54 in Northwest Conference women's soccer action Saturday night in Sherwood Center.

Lewis & Clark, which trailed 21-10 with 5:25 left in the first half, ran its record to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the NWC.

Whitman, which saw three of its players foul out, slid to 0-2 in conference and 1-5 overall.

Lewis & Clark, ranked No. 18 nationally in NCAA Division III, rallied late in the first half to narrow its deficit to 25-22 at intermission.

Kelly Peterson

The Pioneers then opened the second half on a 7-0 run to move in front 29-25. Whitman twice closed to within a point but Lewis & Clark stretched its advantage to 42-34 on two Taylor Wang free throws with 13 minutes left.

After Kristina Williams canned a jumper for a 51-42 Lewis & Clark lead with five minutes remaining, senior Jenele Peterson drilled a 3-pointer and added two free throws on back-to-back possessions to make it a four-point game.

Layups by Peterson and sophomore Sarah Anderegg offset three more Pioneer free throws, cutting the Pioneer lead to 54-51 with three minutes left.

A chance to narrow the gap to a point slipped away when Whitman missed a layup on its next trip down the floor. 

Lewis & Clark's Megan Spence capitalized at the other end with an offensive rebound putback. Fouled on the play, she added the free throw to double the Pioneer lead to six points with 1:24 on the clock.

Lewis & Clark converted eight of nine free throws over the final 90 seconds to pull away.

Williams finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Pioneers. Sara Villanueva added 14 points while Spence was good for 11 points and six rebounds.

Sophomore Kelly Peterson hit all three of her 3-point shots in scoring a team-high 14 points. Anderegg tallied eight points despite playing just 10 minutes before being whistled for her fifth foul.

Mary Madden

Senior Anna Forge spent just 12 minutes on the court before drawing her fifth foul.

Junior Mary Madden added eight points and five boards for Whitman. Jenele Peterson chipped in with seven points before fouling out.

Lewis & Clark won the game at the free throw stripe, making 23 of 33 shots. Whitman went to the line just 15 times, making 12.

Neither side shot well from the floor. Both finished just above the 35 percent mark.

Lewis & Clark also worked its way to a 43-34 rebounding advantage.

Kelly Peterson hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the game as Whitman jumped in front 8-4. Senior Jenn Keyes also connected from long distance and Peterson struck again from downtown as the Missionaries raced into a 21-10 lead.

But Williams and Villanueva countered with 3-point bombs to help the Pioneers erase most of Whitman's lead before halftime.

Whitman returns to non-conference play next weekend when it hosts the annual Kim Evanger Raney Memorial Classic in Sherwood Center. The Missionaries play Lancaster Bible College at 8 p.m. Friday and U.C.-Santa Cruz at the same time Saturday.

The four-team tournament also features a pair of 6 p.m. games.

Lewis & Clark returns home to Portland to host Warner Pacific at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu