Whitman, Ranked #6, Pulls Away from Bearcats in Second Half for 68-49 Win

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University trailed nationally-ranked Whitman College by just five points at halftime on Saturday, Jan. 20, but the Blues pulled away in the second half for a 69-48 win over the Bearcats at Cone Field House. Makana Stone scored a game-high 23 points to help Whitman improve to 16-1 on the season, 8-0 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette fell to 10-7 overall, 6-2 in the NWC. Kylie Towry (Sr., G, Medford, OR/South Medford HS) led the Bearcats with 16 points.

Whitman held a 34-29 lead at halftime. The Blues outscored Willamette 18-9 in the third quarter to increase their lead to 52-38 entering the final period.

Stone connected on 10 of 17 field goals. She also grabbed seven rebounds for the Blues. She was joined in double figures by three other Whitman players. Casey Poe scored 15 points and ended the game with 1,001 points in her career. Emilly Rommel provided 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. Maegen Martin earned 10 points and seven boards.

Towry increased her career scoring total to 1,250 points. She is 59 points away from the Willamette all-time record of 1,309 by Jenny Joseph from 1993-94 through 1996-97. Towry hit two 3-pointers against Whitman, extending her school career record to 270 successful 3-point shots. She is averaging 16.8 points per game this season, good for second in the NWC.

Celine Gregoire (Sr.Jr., P, Woodburn, OR Woodburn Academy) tacked on 10 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Bearcats. Britanny Kochenderfer (Jr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) scored eight points for Willamette and matched Gregoire with six rebounds.

Both teams shot over 50% from the field in the first quarter. Willamette hit 8 of 13 shots for 61.5% and Whitman made 10 of 17 shots for 58.8%.

The first quarter also was very competitive, with four ties and eight lead changes. Willamette led by four points twice -- at 6-2 on a layup by Towry and at 12-8 on a jumper by evans at the 5:29 mark. Whitman scored the game's first basket on a layup by Poe, and later led by one point on three occasions, including 17-16 following a layup by Maegen Martin with 1:37 left. WU tied took a 19-17 lead on a 3-point shot by Kochenderfer with 55 seconds to go, but two layups by Rommel gave the Blues a 21-19 edge at the end of the quarter.

Drew Farmer (So., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS) tied the score for Willamette by hitting a jumper just 20 seconds into the second quarter. Whitman registered the next six points for a 27-21 lead with 6:32 left in the half. The Bearcats tied the score again at 28-28 a bit later when Whitney Anderson (Sr., G, Willamina, OR/Willamina HS) put in a layup at the 2:55 mark. The Blues went on a 6-1 run on layups by Stone and Martin, plus two free throws by Martin, to build their 34-29 halftime lead.

Whitman followed up with an 8-3 run to open the third quarter for a 42-32 advantage with 5:53 on the clock. Stone and Rommel each scored four points during the run. WU trailed the Blues by a 46-38 margin after Gregoire scored on a jumper with 3:56 left in the quarter, but Whitman added the next six points. Willamette was unable to reduce the lead into single digits in the fourth quarter. The Blues led 56-45 with 6:50 remaining, and then closed out the game with a 12-4 run.

Willamette shot 38.8% for the game (19 of 49) while converting 5 of 18 three-point attempts (27.8%). Whitman put through 29 of 64 shots from the field (45.3%), but hit just 1 of 8 from 3-point range. The Blues gained a 36-29 rebounding edge, and committed just eight turnovers and eight fouls. The Bearcats ended the game with 16 turnovers.

Up next for Willamette is a game at George Fox University on Friday, Jan. 26. Tipoff in Newberg, Oregon, is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PST). The Bruins edged the Bearcats 79-76 when the teams met on Dec. 2 in Salem.