SPOKANE, Wash. - The resilient Whitworth women's basketball team returns home this weekend with a chance to not only solidify its hold on third place in the Northwest Conference standings, but perhaps make a move higher. The Pirates will host Linfield on Friday and first-place George Fox on Saturday. In addition, Whitworth head coach Helen Higgs needs only one more win to reach the 200 victory plateau in her 13th season leading the Pirates. She has a career record of 199-124. Only former men's coach Warren Friedrichs (251) has won more basketball games as a head coach at Whitworth.
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 (33.6%) and three pointers made per game (6.1). Whitworth is also second in the conference in three point percentage defense (27.4). Second, the Pirates have proven to be very balanced. Of the top ten scorers in the Northwest Conference, Whitworth has three to this point. Alida Bower is 4th, Natalie Orrell is 9th and Susan McDaniel is 10th. One more Pirate victory 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 11.1 points per game so far this season, and has made 26 of 43 (.605) 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 11.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average is fourth 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 (13.2 points per game) and adding 5.7 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 4.8 points and 2.1 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 - 1.9 is the best in the conference.
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 149-72 (.674) 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 Wildcats: Linfield College enters the weekend with an overall record of 9-9 and a conference mark of 4-6. The Wildcats are dangerous, however, proven by their 51-50 win over George Fox last Tuesday, giving Linfield a season sweep of the Bruins. Linfield lost to a hot Pacific Lutheran squad 57-30 last Saturday. Porcia Jackson (9.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg) is the leading scorer on a team without a player averaging double figures. She made the winning free throws in the victory over George Fox in the final seconds. Whitworth won 50-45 at Linfield on January 5th in the teams' first meeting of the season. The Bruins: George Fox University took control of the NWC championship race by rebounding from the loss at Linfield to defeat Puget Sound 64-62 at home last Saturday, giving the Bruins a season sweep of the Loggers and the key to virtually every tiebreaker. Senior wing Robin Taylor is a conference player of the year candidate with averages of 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. George Fox handed Whitworth a 66-50 defeat in Newberg, Oregon on January 6th. 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 199-124 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .616 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 > |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
