SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth University women's basketball team has put itself in position to make a strong push for the Northwest Conference playoffs and the Pirates (11-8 overall, 6-4 NWC) will begin that quest this weekend with games at Lewis & Clark College and Pacific University. Whitworth is currently tied with both L&C and Whitman College for this place in the NWC standings and only the top three teams in the standings at the end of the regular season make the conference playoffs. 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. Early Start: The February 9th NWC doubleheader at Pacific University will begin with the women's game at 4:00 p.m. and the men at 6:00 p.m. It is the final early start of the season for the Pirates.
Whitworth will sponsor a Think Pink game on February 16th to support the fight against breast cancer. Anyone who attends the Whitworth-Puget Sound game wearing pink will be admitted free. Donations will also be accepted for the Kay Yow/WBCA breast cancer fund in lieu of admission. The Pirates: Whitworth won twice over the weekend and has won three of its last four contests to stay tied with L&C and Whitman for third place in the NWC standings. The top three teams in the conference standings at the end of the season make the NWC tournament.
Whitworth beat Linfield last Friday 76-73 in double overtime, completing a remarkable comeback against the Wildcats. The Pirates trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and did not lead until the final two minutes of the second overtime period. Whitworth made several key plays to force both overtimes. Trailing by five with less than a minute to play in regulation, Natalie Orrell (So., F, Wenatchee, Wash.) scored inside and then made a three-pointer as time expired to force the first overtime. Her trey was set up by Molly Schlander's (Jr., G, Scottsdale, Ariz.) offensive rebound. Then in the first overtime Alida Bower (Jr., F, Onalaska, Wash.) made a pull up jumper with five seconds left to force the final OT period. Cassie Snyder's (Sr., G, Spokane, Wash.) three point shot helped pull Whitworth back from a four point deficit and Liz Horiatis (Fr., P, Woodinville, Wash.) scored inside for the eventual game-winning basket with 43 seconds left. Bower sank a pair of clinching free throws with 15 seconds on the clock and finished with 22 points and eight rebounds. Orrell added 14 points and Snyder finished with 10 points. Against Willamette the following night, Whitworth shot 58% from the floor to outscore the Bearcats 82-71. Courtney Gaddis (Fr., F, Honolulu, Hawaii) came off the bench to lead the team with a career-high 18 points on 7 of 8 shooting from the field. She led five Pirates who scored in double figures. Snyder scored 14, while Bower and Orrell each had 12 points. Tiffany Corigliano (Jr., P, Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) tallied 11 points. Whitworth forced 18 turnovers by Willamette. Tough Schedule: The cumulative record of the opponents that handed Whitworth the four non-conference losses is 62-22. Both Eastern Oregon (18-2) and Lewis-Clark State (18-3) are nationally-ranked in the NAIA. Shooters: The Pirates continue to flourish offensively, especially from three-point range. Whitworth is second in the Northwest Conference in team three-point percentage (.355) and leads in three-pointers made per game (6.95, 11th NCAA Div. III). In addition, the Pirates are near the top in team free throw percentage (.716) and get to the free throw line more than any other team in the conference (21.5 attempts per game). Those numbers allow Whitworth to lead the NWC in scoring offense this season (69.2 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 has returned to average 13.3 points per game to lead the team in scoring. She has made 39.6% of her three-point tries and ranks second in the NWC in three-pointers made per game (2.4). Bower is also the Pirates' second-leading rebounder this season, at 5.6 per contest.
Nifty Natalie: Natalie Orrell is second on the team with a 12.8 scoring average this season, which currently ranks 11th in the NWC. She is shooting 47% from the field this season to rank among the NWC leaders, and is sixth in the league in free throw percentage (.785). Tough Tiff: Tiffany Corigliano has 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 (9.3 per game). She has been smoking hot from three-point range, making 44.2% of her tries, which ranks second in the NWC. Steady Snyder: Cassie Snyder is once again proving a steady force at point guard for the Pirates. Snyder is fourth in the conference in assists per game (3.3) and she is third in assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.3 assists for every turnover. She also is second on the team in steals (1.4 per contest) this season.
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark College (10-9 overall, 6-4 NWC) is making its own strong push for the NWC playoffs by winning four of its last five games, including a 65-45 win at home over Pacific and an impressive 75-49 win at PLU last week. Senior guard Crystal Castle leads the Pioneers in both scoring (15.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). Allison Farr adds 13.3 points and 5.8 boards per contest. In Lewis & Clark's 70-55 win at Whitworth on January 11th, the Pioneers jumped to a quick 23-5 lead and the Pirates could not climb back because of 13 of 30 shooting from the free throw line. Natalie Orrell led Whitworth with 13 points. Pacific University (2-16 overall, 1-9 NWC) is looking to break a nine game losing streak. The Boxers had that streak extended last week by losses at Lewis & Clark (65-45) and Puget Sound (84-54). Amy Pedersen is averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game to lead the team in both categories. Mallory Goldammer adds 10.4 points per contest. Whitworth won the first meeting with Pacific this season 66-53 at home by coming back from an 11-point first half deficit and outscoring the Boxers 43-23 in the second half. Natalie Orrell led the Bucs with 13 points. 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 212-136 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .609 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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