McMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Eve Burke's 17 points weren't enough in a late Linfield push as visiting Whitworth edged the Wildcats 61-57 at Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Saturday evening.
Ella Koebelin finished right behind Burke with 16 points.
Miki Vermeulen grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds while
Gillyan Landis chipped in seven points and seven rebounds. Linfield shot 34 percent on 49 attempts and knocked down 5-18 shots from behind the arc. The 'Cats compiled a 45-29 rebounding advantage.
Kimberley Dewey finished with a game-high 21 points while teammate Zalissa Sanfo was the next-highest scorer with 11. Whitworth (5-10, 2-4 NWC) shot 37 percent from the field on 59 shot attempts and made 8-19 threes, including five threes in the second half.
The Pirates jumped out to a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. Sanfo led Whitworth with seven points in the first 10 minutes. Linfield outscored Whitworth in the second period but a three from Emma Maxwell gave the Pirates a 27-26 lead at halftime. Burke led all scorers with 11 points at the break.
Whitworth grew its lead to as much as nine in the third quarter but Linfield pulled back within one by the end of the frame down only 40-39. Both teams had their best offensive quarters in the final frame. In the final minute, the Pirates stole a Wildcats inbound pass and Dewey converted a bucket plus a free throw to stave off the late Linfield rally.
COMING UP
The Wildcats (8-7, 3-3 NWC) are off until Tuesday when they travel to face George Fox in Newberg. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.