SPOKANE, Wash. – Despite having only eight players in uniform, visiting Linfield was able to wear down Whitworth and pull away for a 76-59 Northwest Conference women's basketball win on Friday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The Pirates dropped to 6-11 overall and 3-5 in the NWC with their fourth straight loss. The Wildcats (14-2, 5-2) took over sole possession of second place in the league standings heading into a showdown at first place Whitman on Saturday night.
After a slow start Whitworth played one of its best opening quarters of the season. Linfield jumped to a quick 5-0 lead before the Pirates went on a 17-2 run to go ahead 17-7. Mya Bair had eight of those points, including the three-pointer that extended the lead to ten. But the Wildcats outscored the Bucs 10-3 the rest of the period, including six straight points by Miki Vermeulen, to get within 20-17 after one quarter.
Linfield then outscored Whitworth 10-3 to start the second, opening a 27-23 lead on a basket by Lauren Roberts. Roberts hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to give the Wildcats their largest first half lead at 35-29, but Ashlyn Peterson was fouled just before the buzzer and sank both free throws to get the Bucs within 35-31 at the break. Bair already had a double-double at halftime with 10 points and 11 boards while Roberts had nine points for Linfield.
While both teams made five baskets in the third quarter, Linfield was able to take advantage of Pirate foul trouble to extend the lead. The Wildcats made 8-10 free throws and opened a 54-46 advantage through the third period. Allie Mead scored seven points in the quarter for the 'Cats.
Mead's layup early in the fourth gave Linfield a double-digit lead (58-48) and after Bair missed a pair of free throws, Roberts scored again to extend the margin to a dozen points. Amelia Smolt and Mead made back-to-back three-pointers later in the quarter to stretch the lead to 72-54.
Bair finished with 17 points and tied her career-high with 14 rebounds. Peterson added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. They were the only Pirates in double figures. The Bucs finished the game 21-66 from the floor (31.8%) and 5-26 (19%) from beyond the arc. After making three of their first six attempts from three-point range, the Pirates went 2 of 20 the rest of the game.
Mead scored 15 points and Tana Hoekema added 14 to lead Linfield to only its fifth win ever in Spokane. Five Wildcats reached double figures in the game and the team finished 26-60 from the field (43.3%). Linfield enjoyed a 40-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Whitworth will open the second half of its NWC schedule on the road next weekend at Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran. The Pirates will play six of their final eight games away from the Fieldhouse.