SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth University women's basketball team begins the all-important Northwest Conference phase of its schedule this week with games at Linfield College (Friday at 6:00 p.m.) and Willamette University (Saturday at 4:00 p.m.). The Pirates enter NWC play with a 5-4 record. 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. The Pirates: Whitworth goes into its conference schedule with a winning non-conference record for the eighth season in a row. The Pirates went to Montana last week, falling 79-62 at Montana Tech in the first game back after the Christmas break and winning 83-73 to sweep the season series against the Argonauts. Tough Schedule: The cumulative record of the Whitworth opponents that have handed the Bucs their four losses is 37-15. Both Eastern Oregon (10-1) and Lewis-Clark State (11-3) are nationally-ranked in the NAIA.
Shooters: The Pirates have been the best three-point shooting team in the NWC so far this season. Whitworth has made a conference-best 8.33 three-pointers per game. At the same time, Whitworth is tied for the NWC lead in three-point percentage at 39.5%. The hot shooting has helped the Pirates average 70.2 points per game, the second-highest total in the NWC. And it doesn't help to put Whitworth at the free throw line where the Bucs are making a league-best 73.2% of their attempts. Bower is Back: Whitworth had a scare earlier this season when returning All-NWC forward Alida Bower (Jr., F, Onalaska, Wash.) went down with a knee injury. But after missing four games she has returned to average 11.2 points per game. She has made 42.9% of her three-point tries. Bower led the Pirates in scoring (13.6 ppg) last season.
Nifty Natalie: Natalie Orrell (So., F, Wenatchee, Wash.), who led the NWC in three-point percentage last season, is still Whitworth's most dangerous threat from beyond the arc. She has made 41.9% of her attempts from three-point range and leads the Bucs with a 13.6 scoring average this season. She has helped her scoring average by making 87.9% of her free throws to lead the conference in that category. Tough Tiff: Tiffany Corigliano (Jr., P, Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) is making the most of her move to the starting line-up. Corigliano leads the team in rebounding (6.2 per game) and is second in scoring (11.4 per game). She has been smoking hot from three-point range, making 57.1% of her tries, which leads 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 third in the conference in assists per game (4.0), but perhaps more telling, she is first in the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.0 assists for every turnover. She also leads the Bucs in steals (1.44 per contest) this season.
The Opponents: Linfield College is 7-2 this season and the veteran Wildcats are ready to challenge for the NWC title. Linfield has won three in a row heading into the weekend, including a 63-59 win at Concordia (Ore.) in the Cats' last game on December 29th. Senior guards Brihtani Lassiter and Casey Stepan lead a deep and balanced group where ten players average at least 10 minutes per game. Lassiter leads the team in scoring (12.1 ppg) and assists (3.0 apg), while Stepan adds 11.6 points per game and makes 37.8% of her three-point tries. Last season Whitworth and Linfield split their games. The Pirates won 50-45 on the road, but lost 60-47 at home. Willamette University is 2-7 this season and the Bearcats will be trying to break a five-game losing streak when they host Whitman College in the teams' NWC opener on Friday night. Willamette's last game was a 73-44 loss at Oregon Tech nearly a month ago (December 8th). Molly Fillion, a 5-9 junior guard, leads the NWC in rebounding (11.9 per game) and the Bearcats in scoring (14.4 points per game). Senior Laura Payne adds 12.2 points per contest. Last season Willamette knocked off Whitworth 64-58 in Salem, but the Pirates ended the season with a 74-57 win over Willamette at home. 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 206-132 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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