SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth will conclude finals week on campus this week by hosting the Quality Inn Whit Classic for the fourth year in a row. Whitworth and Whitman have co-hosted the event the previous three years. This year, each school will host one version. The Pirates host this weekend's event, while the Missionaries host the Whit Classic II on December 29th and 30th. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges of the SCIAC and NAIA DII member Dominican (Calif.) will join the Whits at this year's tournament.
The Pirates: Whitworth dropped both of its games at the EOU Aramark Invitational last weekend in La Grande, Oregon. Turnovers and poor shooting played key roles both nights. The Pirates fell behind 40-18 at halftime during Friday's game against the host Mountaineers. Eastern Oregon went on to win 70-53. Tiffany Corigliano (So., F, Nine Mile Falls, Wash. - Lakeside) scored 13 points off of the bench to lead the Bucs. Whitworth committed 24 turnovers in an 83-66 loss to Albertson on Saturday night. The Coyotes broke open the game midway through the first half with a 12-0 run. Alida Bower (So., F, Onalaska, Wash. - St. Martin's) led Whitworth with 16 points, while Corigliano came off of the bench for 14 points. Susan McDaniel (So., P, Newport, Wash. - Newport) posted her third double double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Whitworth is 6-0 in the previous three versions of the Whit Holiday Classic. Diaper Dandy: Freshman forward Natalie Orrell (Wenatchee, Wash. - Wenatchee HS) continues to lead the team in scoring average. She has scored 13.9 points per game so far this season, and has made 15 of 22 (.682) three point attempts. SATURDAY START TIMES: The Northwest Conference has allowed for earlier start times for games involving Whitworth and Whitman that occur on Saturdays. This allows for an earlier return home. Therefore, the George Fox double header in Newberg, Oregon on Saturday, January 6th will begin with a women's game at 4:00 p.m. followed by the men's game at 6:00 p.m. 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 13th-year head coach Helen Higgs, Whitworth is 142-67 (.679) 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, 22-3 in 2005 (the best record in school history) and 13-11 last season. The Athenas: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is 3-3 so far this season. The Athenas were 20-5 last year, finishing second in the SCIAC. Jocelyn Woolsey leads the team in scoring average (10.7 ppg), while Jennifer Osgood comes off of the bench to add 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. The only common opponent with Whitworth so far this season is UC Santa Cruz. C-M-S defeated the Banana Slugs 56-43 on Nov. 24th, while Whitworth defeated UCSC 64-43 the week earlier. The Lady Penguins: Dominican University of California is 5-5 this season. The Penguins, who are coached by former Whitworth men's assistant Brett Mitchell, have dropped three of the last four games. Dominican went 18-14 last season, finishing third in the California Pacific Conference with an 11-5 record. Alisha Flaaten is the teams leading scorer (13.3 ppg), while Chardonnay Nelson added 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Ironically, UCSC is also the only common opponent. Dominican won 67-60 at UCSC on November 21st. The Coach: Helen Higgs, in her 13th season at Whitworth College, is the winningest women's basketball coach in school history. She has a record of 192-119 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .617 is also the best all-time among Pirate head coaches. She has been named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year three times. Go to Athletics Home Page > Women's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
