SPOKANE, Wash. - Again showing a resiliency that belies the youth on the roster, the Whitworth women's basketball team bounced back from one of its worst performances of the season to knock off a team tied for first in the NWC standings last weekend. The split of games against Linfield and George Fox kept Whitworth tied for third in the conference standings. The Pirates will now go on the road for three games in five days that will ultimately determine whether Whitworth makes the 2007 NWC playoffs with a chance to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Pirates will travel to first place Puget Sound on Friday, then to Pacific Lutheran on Saturday. The following Tuesday Whitworth will play at Whitman.

Bower averages 13.1 points per game

The Pirates: Whitworth's success this season can be traced to a couple of key areas. First, the Pirates are playing very well on the perimeter. Whitworth is leading the NWC in both three point shooting percentage (33.3%) and three pointers made per game (6.0). Whitworth is also second in the conference in three point percentage defense (28.0).

Second, the Pirates have proven to be very balanced. Of the top 12 scorers in the Northwest Conference, Whitworth has three to this point. Alida Bower is 4th, Natalie Orrell is 10th and Susan McDaniel is 12th.

With the win over George Fox last Saturday, the Pirates clinched their sixth consecutive winning season and eighth in the last nine years.

Also, with the win, Helen Higgs surpassed the 200 victory mark in her 13th year as head coach of the Pirates. She is 200-125 overall.

Diaper Dandy: Freshman forward Natalie Orrell (Wenatchee, Wash. - Wenatchee HS) continues to be one of the team's leaders in scoring average. She has scored 10.6 points per game so far this season, and has made 28 of 47 (.596) three point attempts. She nailed a big three point shot in the final minutes of the win over George Fox and leads the NWC by a wide margin in three point percentage. However, she does not qualify for national rankings because she has not taken enough attempts.

Playing Big: Susan McDaniel (So., P, Newport, Wash. - Newport) has given Whitworth a solid inside presence this season, despite her 5-10 height, which has been at a disadvantage to nearly every team on the schedule. Yet McDaniel has worked inside for averages of 10.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average is fifth in the NWC.

Big Comeback: Alida Bower (So., F, Onalaska, Wash. - St. Martin's) has made a huge comeback from a severe knee injury early last season that ended her year. She is leading the team in scoring (13.1 points per game) and adding 5.9 rebounds per game. She is first in the NWC in three pointers made per game (2.2).

Number One in Assists: Cassie Snyder (Jr., G, Spokane, Wash. - Northwest Univ.) is leading the Northwest Conference in assists this season, averaging 4.0 per game, to go along with 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest. Not only is she passing the ball well, but she is protecting the ball also. Her assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.2 - 2.0 is the best in the conference.

2006-07 NWC Standings	NWC	Overall
Puget Sound	10-2	17-4
George Fox	9-3	13-6
Whitworth	7-5	13-8
Lewis & Clark	7-5	13-7
Linfield	6-6	11-9
Pacific Lutheran	6-6	11-9
Whitman	5-7	10-11
Pacific	2-10	6-13
Willamette	2-10	4-17
Through Feb. 5

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 Pacific Lutheran double header in Tacoma, Washington on Saturday, February 10th 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 150-73 (.673) 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 Loggers: Puget Sound (17-4 overall, 10-2 NWC) is trying to close on on its second NWC title since 2000 (2004 was the other). The Loggers took a big step last week with home wins over Pacific Lutheran (67-60) and Pacific (62-36). Sophomore guard Allison Craven scored 38 points in the two wins to earn NWC Player of the Week honors. Her back court mate Laura Hirsch is leading UPS with 10.5 ppg, but the Loggers are deep. UPS defeated Whitworth 73-68 in Spokane on January 12th and has won the last three meetings.

The Lutes: Pacific Lutheran enters the weekend with an 11-10 overall record and a 6-6 conference mark, still in the hunt for the NWC playoffs. After their loss at UPS last Tuesday, PLU lost 58-54 at home to Lewis & Clark on Friday. Senior wing Nikki Johnson is still playing like the defending NWC Player of the Year, averaging 15.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Whitworth defeated PLU 63-60 at home on January 13th.

The Missionaries: Whitman fell to 10-11 overall and 5-7 in the NWC with home losses to George Fox (53-31) and Linfield (52-48) last weekend. The Missionaries have dropped four in a row and six of their last seven. Kelsey Krumdieck continues to play well in the post with averages of 13.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Whitworth beat Whitman 74-58 at home on January 16th.

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 200-125 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .615 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