TACOMA, Wash. - Kaelan Shamseldin scored a game-high 14 points, Makana Stone added a double double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and the No. 9 Whitman College women's basketball team topped Pacific Lutheran 63-51 in Northwest Conference action on Friday night.

Kaylie McCracken had another solid game for the Blues who used a late third quarter run to earn the win. McCracken delivered a near double double with 13 points on 6-8 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. The Blues (16-2, 8-1 NWC) took advantage of a 17-4 second chance points margin and a plus-7 rebound advantage to frustrate the Lutes (8-10, 3-6 NWC).

Emma Janousek (12 points) and Megan Drake (10 points) led the offensive effort for the Lutes. Janousek and Kylie Rademacher shared team-high honors with seven rebounds.

The game featured a close contest throughout the first half. PLU led by three with 5:41 to play in the first quarter after a Janousek three pointer, but baskets from McCracken and Natalie Whitesel put the Blues up 13-11. Whitesel, who stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, four rebounds and four assists, added another and Mady Burdett connected from three as the Blues led by a point through one quarter. 

The second quarter saw the Lutes respond and go up by four midway through the period. Jorie Lambert hit a three pointer to give her team a 25-21 lead with 5:30 to play. The Blues locked down on defense and held PLU to without a field goal for the rest of the half to take a 30-26 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter proved to be the difference in the contest as the Blues outscored the Lutes by nine points. Whitesel was hot early, hitting back-to-back jumpers to put Whitman up 36-26, the first double digit lead of the game. PLU regrouped with a 9-2 run, but the Blues remained hot. McCracken hit on back-to-back layups to give her team a nine-point lead, then Shamseldin hit from three to put Whitman up 50-35 inside of one minute to play.

The Blues kept the lead at double digits throughout the fourth quarter and cruised to the win.

Whitman retakes the court on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. matchup at Puget Sound.