SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth Pirates have put themselves in good position to challenge for a spot in the Northwest Conference tournament. The Bucs are in a four-way tie for the third and final spot in the tournament. And the challenge will be great this weekend as Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran visit the Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Loggers and Lutes come into the weekend tied for first in the NWC standings. Whitworth is coming off of a weekend split at Willamette (win) and Lewis & Clark (loss).

Hendrickson leads the Pirates in scoring

The Pirates: Whitworth (13-7 overall, 7-5 NWC) is tied for the third and final NWC Tournament playoff spot with George Fox, Lewis & Clark and Whitman. Puget Sound is tied for first place with Pacific Lutheran at 10-2. UPS and PLU spend the weekend at Whitman and Whitworth, while L&C and George Fox face each other on Friday.

Click here for complete basketball standings.

How are they doing it? Whitworth is having a strong season despite the fact that the Pirates rank in the middle of almost every Northwest Conference statistical category. But the Bucs have simply been taking care of opportunities presented, and also are 10-0 at home this season. Whitworth has played extremely well in the Fieldhouse, outscoring opponents by 16 points per game, making 43% of their shots from the floor and 38% of their attempts from three point range. But this is a continuing trend. Since the 1999-2000 season, Whitworth is 61-16 at home.

The Leading Scorer: Emily Hendrickson (So., F, Valleyford, Wash. - Freeman) is now Whitworth's leading scorer this season, averaging 12.7 points per contest. She also leads the Pirates in rebounding at 6.2 boards per game, despite often playing power forward against much taller players. Hendrickson stands 5'-6". She was the Northwest Conference Player of the Week on January 30th.

The Other Leader: Holly Ridings (So., G, Spokane, Wash. - Shadle Park HS) is second on the Pirates in scoring at 12.3 points per game. She also leads the team in steals (1.8) and is second in assists (2.2) per game. Ridings was the NWC Player of the Week on January 2nd.

The Seniors: On Saturday night three Pirate seniors will suit up for the final time in the Whitworth Fieldhouse. Danielle Wegman (Sr., Seattle, Wash. - Blanchet) has started all 20 games this season and leads the team in assists (2.3 per game) despite playing post. Chelsea Combs (Sr., F, Kettle Falls, Wash. - Big Bend CC) has become a key contributor off of the bench on the Pirates' front line. Becca Karste (Sr., G, Antioch, Calif. - Deer Valley) has been a capable back up guard for four years. The trio will be recognized prior to starter introductions.

Don't Foul 'Em: Whitworth does lead the Northwest Conference by a wide margin and is ranked 3rd in NCAA Division III in free throw percentage. The Pirates have made 78.0% (295-378) from the line this season. The Pirates have three of the top five individuals in NWC free throw percentage. Hendrickson is second at 85.7%, followed by Danielle Wegman (Sr., F, Seattle, Wash. - Blanchet) at 84.8%. Holly Ridings is fifth at 81.1%.

Bower Out: Unfortunately for the Pirates, one of their few players with collegiate experience, Alida Bower (So., F, Onalaska, Wash. - St. Martin's Univ.) is out for the season with a knee injury, suffered during the team's trip to Montana at the end of finals. She was averaging 11.0 points per game and had started all eight contests. The injury came early in the second half of the win at Great Falls.

Living Large in Division III: Since becoming members of the NCAA in 1999, Whitworth has put together its best stretch of records in school history. All under 12th-year head coach Helen Higgs, Whitworth is 137-61 (.692) since becoming members of Division III. Whitworth went 17-9 in 1999, 18-8 in 2000, 11-12 in 2001, 18-9 in 2002, 19-7 in 2003, 19-6 in 2004 and 22-3 last year (the best record in school history).

The Loggers: UPS comes into the weekend on a nine-game winning streak and with an 18-3 overall record to go along with the 10-2 NWC mark. The Loggers won 61-49 at PLU on January 31st to force the first place tie. UPS then won 59-44 at George Fox. UPS leads the NWC in scoring offense (76.1 ppg), field goal percentage (45%) and three point percentage (41%). The senior perimeter tandem of Kilty Keaton and Sarah Carnahan continues to shine. Keaton is averaging 14.8 points per game while making 44% of her three point attempts. Carnahan adds 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The Loggers defeated the Pirates 68-53 in Tacoma on January 13th.

The Lutes: PLU is 17-3 overall and 10-2 and tied with UPS for the conference lead. After the Lutes were beaten at home by UPS last week, they went out and hammered Linfield 66-31 on the road to remain tied for first place. The Lutes lead the NWC in several key defensive categories, including points allowed (52.4 per game), field goal percentage defense (32.7%) and rebound margin (+6.3). Kelly Turner is averaging 14.1 points and making 42$ of her three point tries. Nikki Johnson adds 13.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. PLU handed Whitworth its worst loss (69-45) of the season on January 14th.

The Coach: Helen Higgs continues her 12th season at Whitworth College as the winningest women's basketball coach in school history. She has a record of 187-113 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .623 is also the best all-time among Pirate head coaches. She has been named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year three times.

Back on the Air: For the fourth year in a row, all the rest of Whitworth's ROAD games will be heard live on KSBN 1230 am. Bob Castle will call all the plays. The games can also be heard over the internet at www.ksbn.net. The next broadcasts are slated for February 14th at Whitman and Feb. 18th at Pacific.