Box Score

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – A double-double performance by Olivia Cook (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) allowed Pacific to give one of the top teams in the nation a run for their money Friday night as the Boxers fell to No. 3 ranked Whitman, 65-55, in Northwest Conference women's basketball action at the Sherwood Center.
 
Cook scored 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds, notching her third double-double of the season.  She connected on 9 of 14 from the field to go along with two assists, a block and a steal.
 
The performance was not enough, though, for the Boxers to keep up with the undefeated Missionaries, ranked No. 3 in the latest D3Hoops.com Top-25 Poll.  Whitman held a double-digit advantage for much of the second half after the Boxers kept the game within single digits in the first 20 minutes.
 
Kati Sheldon (Sr., Paso Robles, Calif.) added 10 points as the Boxers (5-12, 1-8 NWC) finished the night shooting 34.9 percent from the field (22-63) and 10 of 13 from the free throw line.
 
Heather Johns led the Missionaries (18-0, 9-0 NWC) with 25 points on 10 of 22 from the field and 5 of 6 from the charity stripe.  Meghan White added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.  Whitman finished the night shooting 34.8 percent from the field (24-69) and 15 of 21 from the free throw line.
 
Pacific kept the game within three points over the first seven minutes of the contest, but the Missionaries found their stride and took an 18-10 lead on Alysse Ketner's free throw with 11 minutes to go.  The Boxers battled back within two on Alex Pfefferle's (Sr., Twin Falls, Idaho) lay-in at the 7:56 mark.
 
Pacific was still within 22-20 with 6:32 to go, but the Missionaries outscored the Boxers 13-6 the rest of the half.  Sarah Anderegg's two free throws allowed Whitman to go into halftime with a 35-26 lead.
 
The Boxers wouldn't come closer than seven points in the second half, but the Missionaries would not be able to completely shake them either.    Whitman built their biggest lead of the game of 13 points, 43-30, on Hailey McDonald's jumper at the 14:28 mark, only to watch the Boxers come back within seven on Cook's lay-in with 10:11 left.
 
Whitman bumped the lead back up to 12 with 5:14 to go, but a five-point run fueled by free throws brought the Boxers back with seven.  It did not take long, however, for the Missionaries go back up by double digits for the win.
 
Pacific will wrap up their eastern Washington road swing on Saturday, playing at Whitworth at 4 p.m.  The game can be heard via a live webcast at GoBoxers.com.