PORTLAND, Ore. – Junior point guard Heather Johns scored 24 points and grabbed 9 rebounds as the Whitman women's basketball team rolled to its sixth straight win this afternoon, downing Concordia University (NAIA) on the road, 77-54.
It is the fourth time in five games that Johns has surpassed the 20-point mark as the sixth-ranked Missionaries now stand at 6-0 on the season. The Cavaliers drop to 1-7.
Concordia took a 6-0 lead after a jumper from Mckenna Daly hit the mark, but the Missionaries then went on a 20 to 3 run, capped by a Johns three ball, to take control of the game, 20-9.
Whitman extended its lead to 16 points right before the end of the half, 43-27, on a jumper by forward Hailey Ann Maeda.
Any thoughts the Cavaliers had of making a run in the second half was quickly squelched when Missionary guard Tiffani Traver opened the half by nailing a three-pointer to give Whitman a 19 point edge. The Whits continued to lengthen their lead as the half progressed, their largest a 34-point margin at 67-33 after a Johns layup.
The Cavaliers were able to whittle the lead down to the final margin of 23 but never threatened in the second half.
In addition to Johns, the Missionaries got double-figure scoring from Sarah Anderegg (13), Hailey McDonald (11) and Alysse Ketner (10).
Daly was the lone Concordia player in double-digits with 10. Caitlyn McCutcheon added 9 points with a game-high 11 rebounds. Post Meghan White shared the Whitman rebounding honors with Johns, grabbing 9 boards. Whitman won the battle of the boards 44 to 33. Twenty-three of the Missionaries' rebounds were on the offensive end.
The Whits shot an even 44% from the field while holding the Cavaliers to just under 36%, allowing only 31% in the second stanza.
The Missionaries are back in action when they host the annual Kim Evanger-Raney Classic December 13. Whitman will play Corban College on the first night at 8 pm. The following night they will face Eastern Oregon University at 6 pm.
Contact:
Andrew Holt
Whitman Sports Information Director
509.527.5902