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WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Whitman women’s basketball team closed its regular season home slate in style Saturday afternoon, leading wire to wire in a 67–58 Northwest Conference win over Lewis & Clark in the regular-season home finale at Sherwood Center.
Whitman (17–6, 12–2 NWC) raced to a 25–15 lead after the first quarter behind a fast start from its backcourt and never trailed, answering every River Otter push with timely shots and commanding work on the glass. The Blues’ victory evens the season series after a road loss at Lewis & Clark earlier this year and keeps Whitman firmly in the hunt near the top of the conference standings.
Holly Morgan paced Whitman with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal as she repeatedly carved up the defense in transition and off ball screens. Emma Lena Baker posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, to anchor a 38–22 Whitman advantage on the boards. Morgan Montgomery added 12 points and six rebounds, hitting three 3-pointers and going 3-of-4 at the free throw line in the closing seconds to seal the outcome.
Whitman’s depth again proved to be a difference-maker, as Sumi Leavell delivered 10 points in just 16 minutes off the bench, while Briana Andrade chipped in seven points, four rebounds and two assists. The Blues finished with 15 assists on 26 made field goals, moving the ball crisply to generate open threes and high-percentage looks in the paint. Whitman shot 40.0 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc while limiting Lewis & Clark to 34.5 percent overall.
The Blues did much of their damage inside, piling up a 32–20 scoring edge in the paint and a 17–7 margin in second-chance points thanks to relentless work on the offensive glass. Whitman also converted Lewis & Clark’s 16 turnovers into 17 points and held a 14–10 edge in fast-break scoring, consistently turning stops into runouts.
Lewis & Clark (6–17, 3–11 NWC) was led by Kaitlen Carns’ game-high 21 points, as the guard hit four 3-pointers and went 7-of-12 from the field. Lilly Jordan added 10 points, and Ali McCauley supplied nine off the bench, but the River Otters were never able to erase Whitman’s early double-digit cushion despite trimming the deficit to single digits in the fourth quarter.
Whitman will close out the regular season on the road next weekend at Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran with hopes of clinching a conference title.
#GoWhitman
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