Complete Box Score and Play by Play

McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- (From Kelly Bird, Linfield SID) In a battle of upstart teams, Linfield completed its first weekend sweep of the Northwest Conference's eastern Washington schools since 2000, topping Whitworth 70-65 Saturday night at Ted Wilson Gym. Playing with a roster that includes nine freshmen and two sophomores, the youthful Wildcats pulled out a second straight come-from-behind victory, beating a Whitworth team with five new starters and only three upperclassmen.

As it did against Whitman the previous night, Linfield rallied from double-digit shortfalls in each half to run its record to 6-0 and 2-0 in the NWC. Whitworth evened its record at 3-3, falling to 0-2 in conference play.

Three Wildcats scored in double figures, led by the 19 points of freshman guard Jessica Hanato. Porcia Jackson and Bayley Coblentz each contributed 16 points. Coblentz also swept the glass for a game-high 11 rebounds as the Wildcats won the battle of the backboards, 34-28.

Whitworth built a seven-point edge midway through the first half, 12-5, after a 3-pointer by Meghan Beauchamp. Linfield cut the margin to 1 on a jumper by Jessica Hanato, but the Pirates went on a 10-2 run to take a 24-15 lead on a bucket by Emily Hendrickson. Whitworth, which shot .391 in the first half, led 30-23 at intermission.

Linfield closed the gap to two in the opening minutes of the second half, 34-32, on a pair of free throws by Ashley Covey, but the Pirates surged ahead with a 40-35 advantage after a jumper by Amy Ridings.

Linfield again crawled to within one on a 3-pointer from Marissa Lindquist, but the Pirates used another spurt to pump the lead back to 10. The Wildcats refused to wilt, knotting the score at 60 on a 3-pointer by Hanato with just over three minutes left.

In the closing moments, Jackson drove the lane and slipped the ball in the hoop, giving Linfield its first lead of the contest, 66-64, with 1:17 left. Hendrickson was fouled off the dribble and sank 1 of 2 at the line. Casey Stepan, who scored seven points and had five assists, canned the game-clinching bucket with an off-balance shot along the baseline, giving Linfield a three-point lead with 13 seconds to go. Whitworth called timeout to set up a play, but failed to get the ball in bounds and was whistled for a violation. Hanato sank two free throws at the other end for the final points.

Alida Bower led the Pirates with a team-high 14 points. Ridings had 11 and Hendrickson had 10.

The Pirates are idle for two weeks before hitting the road to Havre, Mont., to battle Montana State-Northern on Dec. 17.