SPOKANE, Wash. - Kimberly Kittell scored 22 points and keyed a quick start by Lewis & Clark College as the visiting Pioneers defeated Whitworth University 70-55 in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Friday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

Kittell had four three-pointers over the first twelve minutes of the game to spark L&C (6-6 overall, 2-1 NWC) to a quick 23-5 lead. The Pioneers would hold that 18 point lead into half time after holding the host Pirates to 21% shooting in the first half (5-24).

Orrell led the Bucs with 13 points

Whitworth managed to close within 58-50 on a three-pointer by Alida Bower (Jr., F, Onalaska, Wash.) with 4:41 to play, but Kittell answered with a three-pointer of her own to spark Lewis & Clark back to a double-digit lead.

Whitworth came into the game as the best free throw shooting team in the Northwest Conference, making 73% of their attempts heading into tonight. But the Pirates (7-5 overall, 2-1 NWC) went 13 of 30 (43.3%) from the charity stripe on Friday night, 7-19 (37%) in the second half. Whitworth also struggled from three-point range, making only 2 of 17 attempts (11.8%).

Kittell finished 8 of 10 from the floor and 5 of 6 from three-point range while adding team highs of 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals for L&C. Allison Farr scored 17 points and Crystal Castle chipped in 10 points and eight boards.

Natalie Orrell (So., F, Wenatchee, Wash.) scored 13 points to lead Whitworth and was the only Pirate to reach double figures in scoring. Tiffany Corigliano (Jr., P, Nine Mile Falls, Wash.) grabbed seven boards.

Whitworth will try to bounce back from its first NWC loss of the season on Saturday afternoon when the Bucs host Pacific University at 4:00 p.m. Lewis & Clark will travel to Walla Walla to take on Whitman College, which remained unbeaten in conference play with a win over Pacific University on Friday night.