SPOKANE, Wash. - After struggling through a pair of tough home losses to open the Northwest Conference schedule, Whitworth will look to gain a first NWC women's basketball win on the road this week at Willamette (Friday) and Linfield. The Pirates fell to first-place George Fox 68-50 last Friday, then fell 66-64 to Pacific in overtime on Saturday.
The Pirates: Whitworth will have to get back to the game that led to early-season success. In the two losses last weekend the Pirates were outshot from the field and struggled with turnovers and rebounding. While GFU and Pacific were shooting 48 and 47% from the floor, respectively, the Pirates were held to 34% in each game. In addition, the Bruins forced 7 more turnovers than Whitworth, while the Boxers outrebounded the Bucs. But if Whitworth can regain the defensive intensity and effort on the boards, the Pirates can regain their momentum in the conference playoff chase. NWC Coaches Poll: Whitworth finished second in the 2008 NWC coaches preseason poll. The Pirates finished just behind Whitman in the voting. Bombs Away: Whitworth leads the NWC in three-pointers made per game this season. The Pirates have been able to drain 7.82 shots from behind the arc per contest. And they are hitting at a high percentage as well, tied for second in the conference in three-point percentage (33.1). A big reason has been the shooting of Cassie Pilkinton (Jr., F, Chelan, Wash.) and Natalie Orrell (Jr., G, Wenatchee, Wash.). Pilkinton, a transfer from North Idaho College, leads the conference in three-point percentage (44%) and is second in three-pointers per game (2.0). She leads the Bucs in scoring average this season (12.6 ppg). Orrell is third in the NWC in three-point percentage (40.0%) and is third on the team in scoring average (10.2 points per game). Leah the Leader: Leah Pomante (Jr., G, Colbert, Wash.) is having a breakthrough season at point guard. She is second on the team in scoring average (10.7 ppg) and ranks fifth in the NWC in assists per game (3.44) and second in steals per game (also 3.33). The Opponents: Willamette and Linfield will meet tonight (Tuesday) prior to taking on Whitworth this weekend. Each only played on conference game last weekend. Willamette (1-6 overall, 0-1 NWC heading into tonight's game) is struggle to move forward after the unexpected passing of head coach Bruce Henderson in December. Molly Fillion is doing her part by averaging double figures in both scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (10.4 rpg). Last Friday the Bearcats were defeated 62-52 at Pacific Lutheran. Last season Whitworth swept both meetings with Willamette, winning 86-77 in Salem and 82-71 in Spokane. Linfield (1-9, 0-1 before tonight's game) is looking to bounce back from a 52-29 loss at Puget Sound last Saturday. The Wildcats are deep and like to press opponents all over the floor. Ten different players see action in every game, and five of those average between seven and nine points per game. Last year Whitworth beat Linfield 83-73 in McMinnville and 76-73 in double overtime in Spokane. The Coach: Helen Higgs continues her 15th season at Whitworth as the winningest women's basketball coach in school history. She has a record of 220-165 during her tenure as the Pirate head coach. Her current winning percentage of .571 is also the best all-time among Pirate head coaches. She has been named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year three times. 2008-09 Women's Basketball Schedule Go to Athletics Home Page > Women's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
