SPOKANE, Wash. - No less than five teams are currently tied for first place in the Northwest Conference standings with 3-1 records, including the Whitworth Pirates who are 9-4 overall. Three of the other teams will be making their way to the Fieldhouse over the next six days as Whitworth welcomes Puget Sound (Friday), Pacific Lutheran (Saturday) and Whitman (Tuesday) in a key stretch of the Bucs' conference schedule.

McDaniel leads the NWC in rebounding

The Pirates: Whitworth's good start needs some investigating because an initial view of the statistics raises questions. The Pirates have made 37.3% of their shots to 37.2% for opponents. Whitworth has made 71.7% of its free throws, while opponents have made 71.4% (but made 170 to Whitworth's 167). Turnovers and steals are also fairly even.

The deeper look at the stats finds a couple of key numbers integral to the Pirates success. First, Whitworth has taken five more shots per game than opponents, mostly because the Bucs have outrebounded opponents by five per game. Second, Whitworth has made nearly twice as many three point shots as opponents (76-49) with a 31.5 shooting percentage to opponents' 26.3 three point percentage.

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 11.9 points per game so far this season, and has made 22 of 37 (.595) three point 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 8.5 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average leads 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 (12.2 points per game) and adding 6.5 rebounds per game.

Number One in Assists: Cassie Snyder (Jr., G, Spokane, Wash. - Northwest Univ.) is leading the Northwest Conference in assists this season, averaging 3.9 per game, to go along with 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest.

2005-06 NWC Standings	NWC	Overall
Puget Sound	3-1	10-3
Whitworth	3-1	9-4
Pac. Lutheran	3-1	8-4
George Fox	3-1	7-4
Whitman	3-1	8-5
Lewis & Clark	2-3	9-5
Linfield	1-3	6-6
Willamette	1-3	3-10
Pacific	0-5	4-8
Through Jan. 9

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 Lewis & Clark double header in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, January 27th 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 146-69 (.675) 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 comes into the weekend with a 10-3 overall record and is one of five teams tied for first place (3-1). The Loggers won twice last week, winning 56-53 at Pacific Lutheran and 80-42 at Pacific. Laura Hirsch leads a deep squad in scoring by averaging 10.2 points per game. But nine Loggers have played in all 13 games and each has averaged at least 14 minutes. UPS swept Whitworth in a pair of meetings last season, winning 68-53 in Tacoma and 83-69 in Spokane.

The Lutes: Pacific Lutheran is 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the NWC. In addition to its home loss to Puget Sound last week, PLU won 58-56 at Lewis & Clark. Senior wing Nikki Johnson, the reigning NWC Player of the Year, is having another huge season with averages of 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The Lutes won both meetings with the Pirates in 2005-06, taking a 69-45 decision in Tacoma and a 64-56 win in Spokane.

The Missionaries: Whitman comes into the weekend with an 8-5 overall mark and the same 3-1 mark as PLU and UPS. Last weekend the Missionaries lost 52-37 at George Fox before rebounding to win 53-48 at Linfield. Kelsey Krumdieck is having an outstanding year, averaging 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Last season Whitworth edged Whitman 63-61 in Spokane, but Whitman rolled to a 65-42 win in Walla Walla.

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 196-121 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .618 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