TACOMA, Wash. - Mady Burdett scored a team-high 18 points, Maegen Martin added a double double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, but it came in defeat as the Whitman College women's basketball team slipped into a tie for second place with Puget Sound in a 60-55 Northwest Conference loss to the Loggers on Friday night.

The loss leaves the Blues (18-6, 12-3 NWC) and Loggers (19-4, 12-3 NWC) even at second place behind George Fox who has already secured the No. 1 seed in next week's NWC Tournament. With both teams locked into the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, the contest was preview of their first round matchup. Home court will be determined when Whitman and UPS both play their respective regular season finales on Saturday.

The Blues struggled from the field overall in posting their lowest point total since scoring 49 against Eastern Oregon in their season opener. They failed to hit a three pointer in seven first-half attempts but came on in the second half, shooting 37% (6-16) and nearly completing the comeback. Taylor Chambers chipped in 11 points while Makana Stone had a difficult night, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds before fouling out.

Elizabeth Prewitt led all scorers for UPS with 20 points (8-14) with Jamie Lange dominating the glass on both ends to the tune of a game-high 15 rebounds.

The Blues trailed by as many as 19 points in the second quarter before showcasing a strong second half and a fourth quarter surge. The Loggers outscored the Blues by 11 points in the second quarter but Whitman returned from the locker room and played lockdown defense in the third period, allowing a Mara Henderson three pointer as the only basket through the first 7:10 of the quarter. Meanwhile, the Blues had gone on a 16-4 run capped by a three pointer from Burdett and a jumper from Stone to shave the deficit to four points.

The Loggers were able to push the lead back up to eight points by quarter's end however, but the Blues again rallied in the fourth quarter. Stone got the Blues to as close as they would come, completing a three point play and cutting the UPS lead to 49-46 with just under four minutes to play. Whitman would simply run out of time though as UPS held on for the win to draw even in the conference standings.

The Blues play their regular season finale tomorrow at Pacific Lutheran. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m.