SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth's schedule for the Eastern Oregon Aramark Holiday Classic has undergone a late change. The Pirate women will now play Eastern Oregon on Friday night at 7:30 pm, rather than on Saturday. Saturday's game will be at 5:30 pm against Albertson.

Whitworth takes a season-opening five game winning streak into the weekend's play after starting Northwest Conference play 2-0 last week. The Pirates' Susan McDaniel (So., P, Newport, Wash. - Newport) is the NWC Player of the Week. She led Whitworth to a 2-0 NWC start by making 52% of her shots from the floor. She averaged 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

McDaniel is the NWC Player of the Week

The Pirates: While impressive, Whitworth's 5-0 start is not close to the best women's basketball start in recent history. The 2004-05 team started 12-0 on the way to a 22-3 record, the best in school history.

In both games last weekend Whitworth turned a slow start into a comfortable win. Against Pacific the Pirates trailed by as many as seven points nearly eight minutes into the game before winning 64-52 on Friday night. The next night Lewis & Clark led the entire first half, by as many as 11 points, before Whitworth rallied to win 68-59.

Overall the Pirates are outscoring opponents 67.8 - 48.4, the largest scoring margin in the NWC. The Bucs are outrebounding opponents 44.6 - 36.6 and forcing 22 turnovers per contest.

Diaper Dandy: Freshman forward Natalie Orrell (Wenatchee, Wash. - Wenatchee HS) continues to lead the team in scoring average. She has scored 15.6 points per game so far this season, and has made 13 of 19 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 142-65 (.686) 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 Mountaineers: Eastern Oregon is 5-2 this season after Tuesday night's 73-70 overtime win over Whitman in La Grande, Oregon. Senior guard Christie Weaver leads the team in scoring at 15.0 points per game, while junior forward Tiffany Ulmer adds 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest. The last meetings with the Mountaineers came during the 2004-05 season when Whitworth pulled out a 76-68 win at home and an 81-80 win on the road.

The Coyotes: Albertson is 4-4 overall, but the Coyotes are coming off of big wins over EOU last Friday and Canyon County rival Northwest Nazarene last night (70-54). Junior guard Whitney Clark averages 14.8 points per game, while junior forward Denise Hill adds 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest. Whitworth's last meeting with Albertson was at this same tournament two seasons ago, when the Pirates pulled out a 64-53 win over the 'Yotes.

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 192-117 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .621 is also the best all-time among Pirate head coaches. She has been named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year three times.

2006-07 Roster

2006-07 Schedule

2006-07 Statistics