Press Release
2/3 - WHITWORTH 63, GEORGE FOX 62: Pirates Prevail to Knock Bruins Out of First-Place Tie
SPOKANE, Wash. - In a battle that featured 10 ties, 16 lead changes, and never more than a seven-point lead for either team, it was Susan McDaniel's free throw with 14.9 seconds left that gave the Whitworth College Pirates a 63-62 win over the George Fox University Bruins in a Northwest Conference women's basketball nail-biter Saturday night here at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The setback dropped the Bruins to 13-6 overall and 9-3 in the conference, one game behind the 10-2 University of Puget Sound, which hammed Pacific University 62-36 Saturday. The Pirates improved to 13-8 overall and 7-5 in the league, tied for third with Lewis & Clark College. It was the 200th win for Whitworth coach Helen Higgs, who is 200-125 in her 13th season with the Pirates.
The first half was a see-saw battle as the Pirates opened up a 13-6 lead after a McDaniel layup seven minutes into the game. The Bruins responded with an 8-0 run which included jumpers by Robin Taylor and Katy Campbell to take a 14-13 lead with 10:27 left in the half. The game was knotted 38-38 at the break as neither team could pull away from the other. The Pirates' Tiffany Corigliano had all 13 of her points in the first half.
The second half remained close as the teams changed leads 10 times. The Pirates' biggest lead was 53-48 after Molly Schlander hit a pair of free throws with 8:06 remaining, but the Bruins tied it 53-53 after Campbell sliced through the Pirate defense for an easy lay-in with 5:10 to go. Natalie Orrell nailed a three-pointer from the top of the arc to put Whitworth up 60-58 at the 2:14 mark, but Melissa Marek-Farris tied the game again at 60-60 with a layup at 1:49.
Teresa Zeitler hit a tough lay-in at 1:26 for a 62-60 Pirate lead, but George Fox responded at the other end with a pair of tying free throws from Kaleigha Ramey with 37 seconds left, setting up the final point. McDaniel was fouled on the low block and knocked down the first of two free throws with 14.9 seconds showing, which turned out the be the difference when the Bruins' Elise Kuenzi fought through a Pirate double team but saw her shot for the win fall short as time expired.
Campbell led all scorers with 19 points for the Bruins, while Jaime Hubka added 11. Campbell had a team-high eight rebounds. Hubka and Taylor had three assists apiece. The Bruins shot well from the field with a mark of .490 (24-49), but their struggles from the free throw line (.444, 8-18) proved costly.
Alida Bower and Corigliano paced the Pirates with 13 points each, while Cassie Snyder handed out six assists. Bower's eight rebounds led the Pirates to a slight edge on the glass, 30-29. The Pirates connected for a .434 percentage from the field (23-53), and were especially effective from long range, sinking .529 (9-17) of their three-pointers.
George Fox plays its final road game of the season Friday, traveling to Salem, Ore., to face Willamette University. Whitworth visits Puget Sound Friday. Both games tip off at 6 p.m., followed by NWC men's games at 8 p.m.