WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Whitman shot over 55 percent from behind the three-point line to defeat visiting Linfield at the Sherwood Athletic Center 59-48.
Ella Koebelin led the Wildcats with 12 points while
Gillyan Landis put together her second night in double digits with 10.
Allison Mead and
Eve Burke each added eight points. Linfield (11-12, 6-8 NWC) shot 35 percent from the field on 51 attempts and made 5-12 shots from behind the arc (all makes came in the first half).
Carly Martin led all scorers with 15 points. Korin Baker tallied a 13-point and 11 rebound double-double with Christiane Carlisle scoring all 12 of her points from behind the three-point line. Whitman (17-5, 9-4 NWC) shot 37 percent on 59 attempts and converted 10-18 three-point shots. The Blues scored 20 points off of 17 Linfield turnovers.
Whitman nearly doubled Linfield's scoring output in the first quarter, jumping out to a seven-point lead by the end of the period. The Blues scored 16 points again in the second period, however, the Wildcats' offensive surge of 18 second-quarter points pulled them within five at halftime down only 32-27. Koebelin and Mead tied for the team lead with eight points each while Carlisle led all scorers with nine.
Three makes from behind the arc guided the Blues to their biggest lead of the game in the third quarter, crossing over the double-digit lead mark for the first time. Whitman held a 48-40 lead going into the final quarter.
Linfield scored two points in the first six minutes of the fourth period. The Wildcats scored only six more points in the final 3:43 and couldn't come closer than nine as the Blues closed out their fourth straight Northwest Conference win.
COMING UP
The Wildcats are back at home for the final time this season when they welcome county rival George Fox on Tuesday.