Ho Leads Bearcats to 66-61 Victory in NWC over 17th-Ranked Whitman

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Carolyn Ho (Sr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) provided 19 points and a solid all-around game to lead the Willamette University Bearcats past 17th-ranked Whitman College, 66-61, in Northwest Conference women's basketball action on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Sherwood Center. In addition to leading the Bearcats in scoring, Ho grabbed seven rebounds, supplied three assists, and earned three steals, while playing 38:36 during the 40-minute game.

The big performance by Ho was augmented by Elyse Waldal (Jr., Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak HS/Linfield University) and Ava Kitchin (Sr., P, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS), who combined for 30 points. Waldal scored 18 points, hauled down six rebounds, and tied Ho for the team lead with two 3-point baskets. Kitchin tacked on 12 points, five rebounds and one steal. Peyton Gardner (So., G, Bend, OR/Bend HS) was credited with five boards, three assists, and two steals.

Willamette won both games on its road trip over the NWC's opening weekend. On Friday, the Bearcats won at Whitworth University, 77-71. Waldal topped the Bearcats with 19 points in the win against the Pirates. It was the first time the Bearcats won on the road against Whitman and Whitworth on the same weekend since the 2017-18 season.

The Bearcats evened their overall record at 4-4, while moving to 2-0 in the NWC with the win over the Blues. Whitman, which entered the game ranked #17 in the D3hoops.com Women's Top 25 Poll, slipped to 5-1 overall, 1-1 in the NWC.

"I'm so happy for this team tonight," Willamette Head Women's Basketball Coach Peg Swadener said. "Everyone has really embraced the challenges I have been giving them, and it was fun to see their hard work pay off!"

For the Blues, Carly Martin scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and produced five assists. Lindsay Drango added 17 points and five boards. Korin Baker recorded 12 points and led all players with 10 rebounds. Christiane Carlisle contributed five points, six boards, and four assists.

Whitman held a 17-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter as Drango scored eight points and the Blues hit 7 of 14 field goal attempts. Willamette outscored the Blues 12-4 in the second quarter while holding Whitman to 2-for-19 shooting (10.5%). The Bearcats led 25-21 at the break, led by Ho with seven points. In the third quarter, WU gained a 17-16 edge in scoring, with the Bearcats taking a 42-37 lead into the final quarter.

The Blues tallied the first six points of the fourth quarter and took a 43-42 lead on a jump shot by Drango with 8:01 remaining. The teams matched each other on the scoreboard for most of the quarter following the basket by Drango. Whitman broke a 52-52 tie when Martin hit a 3-point shot with 3:31 left. Willamette scored a few seconds later on a layup by Waldal. Baker of the Blues gave Whitman a 57-54 lead when she grabbed an offensive rebound and put in a layup at the 2:15 mark.

A 3-pointer by Waldal went through the basket with 2:04 to play and tied the score. Waldal's basket started an individual 8-0 run. She added two free throws with 1:41 left, and then Whitman missed a 3-point shot and two free throws from an off-the-ball foul with 1:26 to go. Waldal sank a 3-pointer with 1:12 left to give the Bearcats a 62-57 lead.

Baker made a jump shot for Whitman with 51 seconds remaining to reduce the margin to 62-59, but the Blues never got closer as the Bearcats connected on 4 of 6 free throws. Kitchin hit the second of two free throws with 27 seconds left, as she increased the margin to four points. Two free throws by Ho with 11 seconds on the clock moved the lead to 65-59. Martin scored on a layup for the Blues with three seconds to go, before Ho went 1 for 2 at the line with one second to play.

Willamette limited Whitman to 37.7% shooting for the game (26 of 69) and to 17.4% accuracy on 3-pointers (4 of 23). Willamette shot 46.3% overall (25 of 54) and made 6 of 19 three-point attempts (31.6%). Both teams shot well in the fourth quarter, when both teams scored 24 points, as Willamette went 8 of 14 (57.1%) and Whitman was 10 of 19 (52.6%).

The Bearcats forced Whitman into 13 turnovers, which allowed Willamette to register eight steals. WU lost possession just eight times. Whitman claimed a 44-26 rebounding edge, including 20-4 in offensive boards, but the Blues gained a slim 10-9 margin in second-chance points. Willamette held a 10-0 advantage in points scored on fast-breaks.

Willamette is scheduled to take on Oregon Tech in Salem, Oregon, on Friday, Dec. 8. Game time at Cone Field House is set for 6 p.m. (PST).