SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth University women's basketball team will play its final home game of 2008 on Tuesday, then the final regular season game of the year on Friday. The Pirates host Whitman College Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m., then play at George Fox University on Friday, also at 6:00 p.m. On Tuesday night Whitworth will recognize Cassie Snyder (Sr., G, Spokane, Wash.) and Teresa Zeitler (Sr., G, Medical Lake, Wash.) as the pair suit up for their final home game of their careers. Radio/Internet: All the Pirates' NWC road games will be carried live by KSBN 1230 am and Bob Castle will call the play by play. In addition to the on-air broadcast, the KSBN internet simulcast can be picked up either on the Whitworth Athletics site, or at KSBN.net by selecting the "listen now" button. Also, Whitworth now offers "Live Stats" for all home games. The live stats link is: http://www.whitworth.edu/Athletics/Teams/Basketball/livestats/xlive.htm. The Pirates: Whitworth split at home over the weekend, defeating Pacific Lutheran on Friday before falling to NWC co-leader Puget Sound on Saturday.
Whitworth used a 19-2 first half run to pull away from Pacific Lutheran on Friday night, defeating the Lutes 71-62. The Pirate defense was the key, holding PLU to one basket in 11 tries over the final ten minutes of the first half. Natalie Orrell (So., F, Wenatchee, Wash.) scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Pirates, while Cassie Snyder added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Tiffany Corigliano (Jr., P, Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) totaled 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds. With the win Whitworth earned a season split with the Lutes. Whitworth fell behind Puget Sound by 20 points in the first half of Saturday night's game before rallying in the second half. But UPS held off the Pirates 64-54 to keep a share of first place in the NWC standings. After shooting only 26% (7-27) in the first period, Whitworth made 47% (15-32) in the second half. Natalie Orrell again led the Bucs in scoring with 15 points, while Alida Bower (Jr., F, Onalaska, Wash.) and Liz Horiatis (Fr., P, Woodinville, Wash.) each scored 10 points. Shooters: The Pirates have flourished offensively this season, especially from three-point range. Whitworth is second in the Northwest Conference in team three-point percentage (.353) and leads in three-pointers made per game (6.96, 15th NCAA Div. III). In addition, the Pirates are near the top in team free throw percentage (.720) and get to the free throw line more than any other team in the conference (20.8 attempts per game). Those numbers allow Whitworth to lead the NWC in scoring offense this season (67.9 ppg). Bower is Back: Whitworth had a scare earlier this season when returning All-NWC forward Alida Bower went down with a knee injury. But after missing four games she returned to average 12.6 points per game to rank second on the team in scoring. She has made 37.1% of her three-point tries and ranks second in the NWC in three-pointers made per game (2.26). Bower is also the Pirates' number two rebounder (5.7 per game) and leader in steals (1.47) this season.
Nifty Natalie: Natalie Orrell is the team leader in scoring average (13.0) this season, which currently ranks 9th in the NWC. She is shooting 48.7% from the field this season to rank among the NWC leaders, and is fifth in the league in free throw percentage (77.6%). Tough Tiff: Tiffany Corigliano made the most of her move to the starting line-up this season. Corigliano leads the team in rebounding (5.9 per game) and is third in scoring (8.8 per game). Steady Snyder: Cassie Snyder has proved a steady force at point guard for the Pirates for the second season in a row. Snyder is third in the conference in assists per game (3.6) and she is second in assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.64 assists for every turnover. She also is second on the team in steals (1.22 per contest) this season.
The Opponents: Whitman College (14-9 overall, 8-6 NWC) comes into the week one game ahead of the Pirates in the Northwest Conference standings. The Missionaries pulled off a big upset of NWC co-leader Puget Sound last Friday (53-51) then lost to Pacific Lutheran on Saturday (both at home). Whitman plays a very team-oriented style with no single player averaging in double figures. Senior forward Emily Shubin had a big weekend with 18 points and the winning basket against UPS. She averages 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. On January 22nd Whitworth won at Whitman 73-65 behind 16 points by Natalie Orrell. George Fox (20-3 overall, 12-2 NWC) is looking to claim at least a share of its second straight NWC title. The Bruins were upset by Lewis & Clark 45-35 on the road last Friday, but bounced back to hammer Pacific 69-34 at home on Saturday. Senior Katy Campbell continues to have an outstanding season with averages of 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Melissa Marek-Farris adds 10.2 points and leads the NWC in blocked shots (2.22 per game). George Fox came to Spokane on January 26th and defeated Whitworth 65-49 despite 12 points by Alida Bower. The Coach: Helen Higgs is in her 14th season at Whitworth University and is the winningest women's basketball coach in school history. She has a record of 213-139 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .605 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 > |
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