SPOKANE, Wash. - Despite opening the year with four new starters, and often playing long stretches of games with all freshmen and sophomores on the floor, the Whitworth Pirates have put themselves in the thick of the Northwest Conference playoff chase. Whitworth comes into the weekend tied for third in the standings, which is important since only the top three teams in the standings make the playoffs at the end of the season. The Pirates will try to strengthen their position this weekend at Pacific (Friday) and Lewis & Clark (Saturday).

Snyder leads the NWC in assists

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 (34.2%) and three pointers made per game (6.2). Whitworth is also second in the conference in three point percentage defense (27.9).

Second, the Pirates have proven to be very balanced. Of the top nine scorers in the Northwest Conference, Whitworth has three to this point. Alida Bower is 4th, Natalie Orrell is 7th and Susan McDaniel is 9th.

Two more Pirate victories will clinch Whitworth's sixth consecutive winning season and eighth in the last nine years.

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 11.6 points per game so far this season, and has made 25 of 40 (.625) three point attempts. She leads the NWC by a wide margin in three point percentage, but 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 11.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average is third in the NWC, but she leads the conference in offensive boards per game (3.4).

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 (13.0 points per game) and adding 6.1 rebounds per game. She is first in the NWC in three pointers made per game (2.1).

Number One in Assists: Cassie Snyder (Jr., G, Spokane, Wash. - Northwest Univ.) is leading the Northwest Conference in assists this season, averaging 4.2 per game, to go along with 4.7 points and 2.3 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.

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 148-71 (.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 Boxers: Pacific University comes into the week (and the second half of the NWC slate) looking for a fresh start. The Boxers are 4-11 overall and 0-8 in the NWC. After losing 66-52 at Linfield and 68-45 at PLU last week, the team's losing streak has reached seven contests. But forward Amy Pedersen has played well throughout the season for Pacific, averaging 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Whitworth defeated the Boxers 64-52 in Spokane on December 1st in the teams' first meeting of the season.

The Pioneers: Lewis & Clark College, one of the favorites for the NWC title at the beginning of the season, has had to deal with a tough schedule. The Pioneers (10-7 overall, 3-4 NWC) have had to play five of their first eight NWC games on the road. They lost at NWC-leading UPS 65-49 and at home to second place George Fox 77-73 last week. All-NWC swing player Crystal Castle has averaged 12.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. In the teams' first meeting this season, Whitworth defeated L&C 68-59 at home on December 2nd.

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 198-123 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.

2006-07 Roster

2006-07 Schedule

2006-07 Statistics