WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Callie Harwood scored eight of her ten points in the final two and a half minutes of the game to help the visiting Whitworth Pirates rally for a 55-52 win over 21st-ranked Whitman in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Tuesday night in the Sherwood Center.
The Pirates trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, but they outscored Whitman 17-5 in the fourth quarter to improve to 12-8 overall and 7-4 in the NWC. The Missionaries fell to 15-4, 8-3 in a game that mirrored the final score when Whitman won the first meeting in Spokane.
KC McConnell led all players with 21 points, which moved her into third place on the Whitworth women's basketball all-time scoring list. She now has 1,497 in her career.
Whitworth played perhaps its best first quarter of the season. A Jessica Thoens three-pointer gave the Pirates their first lead of the game at 15-12. And McConnell hit a three late in the period to extend the advantage to 20-14.
McConnell scored again at the beginning of the second period to increase the lead to 22-14. But Whitman regrouped and fought back to take a 30-29 lead into the locker rooms.
The third quarter belonged to the Missionaries. A Hailey McDonald three-pointer sparked a quick 7-0 run that increased Whitman's lead to 37-29. By the time Sierra McGarity scored with less than a minute to play in the quarter Whitman had increased its lead to 47-36. Harwood made two free throws, her first two points of the game, at the end of the third to pull Whitworth back within nine.
Like they did in their comeback victory at Lewis & Clark on Saturday night, the Pirates turned up the defense in the final quarter, holding the Missionaries to only five total points. The Pirates trailed 50-46 when Harwood hit a three to get her squad within one point with 2:22 to go. She then took advantage of an offensive rebound to score the go-ahead basket with just over a minute to play. After she grabbed a defensive rebound on Whitman's missed shot, Harwood calmly drilled a three-pointer with 18 seconds to play, and only one second on the shot clock, to give Whitworth a 54-50 lead.
Whitman hit one final basket before McConnell made one of two free throws with eight seconds to play for the final margin. Casey Poe's desperation three-pointer at the buzzer was no good.
McConnell and Harwood were the only two Pirates in double figures. McConnell also led Whitworth with a game-high ten rebounds and the Bucs finished with a 48-41 edge on the boards.
The game may have been won at the free throw line where Whitworth went 15-22 and Whitman finished 5-6.
Hailey Ann Maeda scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Missionaries. Poe finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Whitworth will return to action on Saturday night when the Pirates host Pacific (Ore.).