Whitman Holds Off Willamette for 74-71 Win

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Whitman College led by 11 points with 4:05 remaining, but the Missionaries had to hold off a rally by Willamette University before edging out the Bearcats, 74-71, on Friday, Jan. 14 at Cone Field House. Willamette missed sending the game into overtime when senior guard Alex Zennan (Sammamish, WA/Eastlake HS) failed on a 3-point shot with two seconds left.

The win improved Whitman to 8-5 on the season, including 3-2 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette moved to 1-11 overall, 0-5 in the NWC.

Whitman received a game-high 19 points from Sarah Anderegg, who also earned seven rebounds. Jenele Peterson added 11 points and six boards, while Jennifer Keyes contributed 10 points and three assists. The Missionaries achieved a 49-42 rebounding margin, led by nine boards from Kelly Peterson.

Willamette was led by Shayna Glynn (Sr., F, Boise, ID/Capital HS/Walla Walla CC) with 15 points. Glynn also hauled down seven rebounds. Kaileigh Westermann (Jr., F, Belfair, WA/South Kitsap HS) tacked on 13 points and led all players with 11 rebounds.

Sophie Wilson (So., G, Port Townsend, WA/Port Townsend HS) also scored 13 points for the Bearcats. She was 3 for 3 on three-point attempts. MacKenzie Lamson (Fr., F, Portland, OR/Lincoln HS) provided 12 points, three assists to steals and a blocked shot.

In the first half there were four ties and three lead changes. Willamette held an 11-6 advantage following two free throws by Westermann at the 14:12 mark and led for most of the first 10 minutes. WU's biggest lead was 15-9 with 12:55 on the clock.

Whitman owned the lead for the final 10 minutes of the first half, after moving in front 19-16 on a 3-pointer by Keyes with 10:19 on the clock. During the first half, Whitman led by eight points on two occasions, at 27-19 with 6:47 to go and at 37-29 with 2:01 remaining in the period.

Alexa Beeson (Fr., F, Portland, OR/Lincoln HS) of Willamette sank one free throw at the 30-second mark and Wilson added two charity shots for the Bearcats with five seconds left. The Missionaries were in front, 37-32, at the halftime.

Although Whitman continued to lead throughout the second half, the Missionaries couldn't shake the Bearcats. Willamette tailed 45-34 with 17:10 remaining, but cut the margin to 49-44 on a layup by Lamson with 15:09 to go.

Whitman pushed its advantage to 11 points, 61-50, following a 3-pointer by Catelyn Webber with 8:21 on the clock, but was unable to gain additional separation from the Bearcats. Several minutes later, a layup by Rebecca Sexton gave the Missionaries a 69-58 edge with 4:05 left.

WU started its final comeback on a layup by Westermann to cut the lead to 69-60 with 3:28 remaining. Two free throws by Erin Barclay (Sr., G, Snohomish, WA/Bothell HS), a layup by Lamson and a free throw by Westermann reduced the deficit to four points, 69-65 with 1:15 to go. Willamette pulled within two points, 69-67, on a layup by Westermann at the 55-second mark.

The Missionaries used a 5-2 run to take a 74-69 lead with 23 seconds left. Westerman scored on a jumper for Willamette with 13 seconds on the clock and Emilee Gilbert missed two free throws for Whitman two seconds later. Glynn grabbed the rebound for WU, giving the Bearcats a chance to set up Zennan's 3-point attempt in the closing seconds.

The Bearcats shot 38.5% on field goals (25 of 65), while the Missionaries connected on 36.1% of their shots (22 of 61). Whitman gained an edge on three-pointers and free throws, as the Missionaries hit 5 of 10 trifectas (50.0%) and made 25 of 38 free throws (65.8%). Willamette connected on 3 of 7 three-pointers (42.9%) and sank 18 of 31 free throws (58.1%).

Whitman committed 22 turnovers, while the Bearcats lost the ball 17 times. The game featured 55 fouls, with 28 on Whitman and 27 on Willamette. Two players from each team fouled out.