SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth University women's basketball team will face the toughest stretch in the 2007-08 schedule as the Pirates play three Northwest Conference road games over the next five days, beginning with a trip to Tacoma for games against Pacific Lutheran University (Friday at 6:00 p.m.) and University of Puget Sound (Saturday at 4:00 p.m.) and finishing with a trip to Walla Walla to take on Whitman College (Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.). Whitworth (8-5 overall, 3-1 NWC) is coming off of a home split against Lewis & Clark College and Pacific University that leaves the Bucs only one game out of first place in the Northwest Conference standings. 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: Saturday's doubleheader against UPS will tip off at 4:00 p.m. for the women's game and follow with a 6:00 p.m. start for the men. All of Whitworth's Saturday road doubleheaders will begin at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The Pirates: Whitworth remains one game behind George Fox University and Whitman in the current NWC standings after last weekend's play. Both contests were hard-fought affairs. Lewis & Clark managed to jump to a quick 18-point lead (23-5) in Friday's game in the Fieldhouse and the Pirates could not recover. After continuing to trail by 18 points at halftime (35-17), Whitworth rallied to within 58-50 on a three-pointer by Alida Bower (Jr., F, Onalaska, Wash.) with 4:41 to play, but the Bucs could not get closer in a 70-55 loss. Whitworth came into the game as the best free throw shooting team in the Northwest Conference (73%), but the Pirates went 13 of 30 (43.3%) from the charity stripe against L&C, 7-19 (37%) in the second half. Whitworth also struggled from three-point range, making only 2 of 17 attempts (11.8%). Whitworth again fell behind quickly against Pacific University on Saturday. The Boxers took a 30-23 halftime lead and led by 11 points (36-25) over the first minutes of the second half. But the Pirates outscored Pacific 41-17 the rest of the way to win 66-53. After committing nine turnovers in the first half, Whitworth only turned the ball over one time in the second period to account for the comeback. The Pirates also held the Boxers to 25.4% shooting (8-34) in the second half.
Tough Schedule: The cumulative record of the opponents that handed Whitworth the four non-conference losses is 46-18. Both Eastern Oregon (13-1) and Lewis-Clark State (14-3) are nationally-ranked in the NAIA. Shooters: The Pirates' shooting woes over the weekend affected their Northwest Conference statistical rankings. Whitworth dropped from first to third in free throw percentage (.695) and three-point percentage (.352). However, the Bucs still rank first in the NWC in scoring average (70.3 points per game) and three-pointers made (7.38 per game). 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 13.1 points per game, second on the team in scoring. She has made 41.2% of her three-point tries. Bower, who led the Pirates in scoring (13.6 ppg) last season, needs to have participated in 75% of the team's games to qualify for the NWC statistical leaders. She has currently played in 69% (9 of 13). Nifty Natalie: Natalie Orrell (So., F, Wenatchee, Wash.) leads the team with a 13.3 scoring average this season and was the top scorer for the Pirates in both games over the weekend. She is shooting 46.5% from the field this season to rank among the NWC leaders. She is also second on the team in rebounding at 5.0 per contest.
Tough Tiff: Tiffany Corigliano (Jr., P, Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) has made the most of her move to the starting line-up this season. Corigliano leads the team in rebounding (6.3 per game) and is third in scoring (9.5 per game). She has been smoking hot from three-point range, making 47.1% of her tries, which ranks third in the NWC. Steady Snyder: Cassie Snyder (Sr., G, Spokane, Wash.) is once again proving a steady force at point guard for the Pirates. Snyder is fourth in the conference in assists per game (3.4), but perhaps more telling, she is first in the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.7 assists for every turnover. She also leads the Bucs in steals (1.54 per contest) this season.
The Opponents: Pacific Lutheran University (7-6 overall, 0-4 NWC) is in the very unfamiliar position of sharing last place in the current conference standings. After a strong 7-2 non-conference result, the Lutes have begun the NWC slate winless, including a 66-52 loss at Puget Sound last Tuesday and a painful 67-64 defeat at home to Willamette on Saturday after allowing the visiting Bearcats to end the game on a 15-0 run. But PLU has the players to rally the season. Kyle Haag (Sr., G) leads the team in scoring average (14.8 points per game) and leads the NWC in three-pointers made with over three per game. Junior Emily Voorhies, a 6-1 post, adds 8.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Kelly Warnke is in her first season as head coach at PLU. Last season the teams split, with Whitworth winning 63-60 at home and PLU winning 72-57 in Tacoma. The University of Puget Sound (10-3 overall, 3-1) is tied with Whitworth for second place in the NWC standings heading into the week. Head coach Suzy Barcomb has the squad again challenging for a conference title in her 10th season. Last season the Loggers tied for the league title and went to the fourth round of the NCAA Division III tournament. UPS is led by the stellar All-NWC combination of senior guard Laura Hirsch and senior post Marissa Cain. Both average 13.9 points per game and Hirsch is second on the team in assists and steals while Cain leads the squad in rebounds (7.6 per game). Last year UPS swept Whitworth, winning 73-68 in Spokane and 73-55 in Tacoma. The Loggers have won the last six in the series. Whitman College (10-3 overall, 4-0 NWC) heads into the weekend tied with George Fox atop the NWC standings. The Missionaries, who shared a conference title in 2004 and made the NWC playoffs in 2006, are all about balance. No player currently averages double figures in scoring, but the team is second in the NWC in scoring defense (49.3) and scoring margin (+15.3) and leads the league in assists per game (16.23). Freshman guard Jenele Peterson has given head coach Michelle Ferenz (7th year) a tremendous spark by averaging 9.9 points per game. Last season Whitworth defeated Whitman 74-58 at home, but lost to the Missionaries 58-48 in Walla Walla. 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 209-133 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .611 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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