Box Score
By Ben Zimmerman
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. -- There have been legs of Whitman's still-perfect basketball journey showcasing the excellence of the Missionary women's star players and the elegant chemistry of a team in perfect synch.
A 69-61 victory over Linfield here Friday in a Northwest Conference game was the other kind. One of those wins with warts.
No. 4 Whitman overcame some ball security issues and survived cold shooting by controlling what it could control, namely its effort. Rebounding, defense, free throws: these are the humble ingredients in the grout between the shiny tiles of what is now a 14-0 start to the season.
"When you go on the road, it's going to be a challenge in this conference," Whitman head coach Michelle Ferenz said. "I thought we played very well at times. But on the road, Friday night games, they're hard. We're a little beat up right now and our rotation is different. So it's always good to go on the road and win."
The Missionaries, who have not lost to Linfield since 2007, shuffled through a listless first half and saw a comfy second-half lead deflate in the final minutes as crafty Linfield southpaw Taylor Solomon caught fire. But after Solomon's long-range barrage -- she nailed three 3-pointers and also converted a three-point play to pull the Wildcats within seven points with 3:58 to play -- a pair of usual Whitman suspects stepped up and said, "no ma'am." Sarah Anderegg made 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch and Heather Johns converted a tough lay-in while absorbing a body blow to stem the tide.
It was a slightly nervous finish for Whitman (5-0 in conference), which had used baskets by Johns, Anderegg and Tiffani Traver (hers a 3-pointer) to open the second half on a 7-0 run and push its lead to double-digits. There it stayed, swelling to as high as 16 inside the final eight minutes, on the strength of grit rather than glitz.
Whitman outrebounded Linfield 43-31 and snagged a whopping 17 offensive rebounds, led by Meghan White's seven and Johns' four. That helped the Missionaries attempt 20 more field goals than their hosts. Whitman also forced 21 turnovers, a figure enlarged by scrappy contributions from Traver (four steals) and swarming team defense in general.
Those metrics balanced Whitman's rough shooting night, especially from outside the arc, where the Missionaries made just 5 of 20 3-pointers. The dirty work also helped offset an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers by the conference co-frontrunners.
"At times, our halfcourt execution was pretty good," said Ferenz. "I was a little disappointed in how we didn't finish, but we did a good job of crashing the boards. We were doing a good job of moving the ball. We just weren't finishing. We did a good job of exploiting the fact that they were scrambling around" in a zone defense.
Anderegg finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, Johns added 19 points, six rebounds and Meghan White notched another double-double with 11 points and 12 boards. Traver added 12 points and made 4 of 8 3-pointers.
"She played a good game," Ferenz said of Traver. "She missed her first couple and then went on a little tear. We obviously need some other kids to step up and start shooting from the perimeter."
The Missionaries took a tenuous, 32-28 lead into the break after a plodding first half when momentum proved elusive to both teams. Whitman made just 2 of 12 3-pointers, missing its first eight long-distance attempts before Traver buried an open look with 5:26 left in the half. It gave her team its largest lead of the half to that poiint, 25-19.
A 3 by Traver and short jumper by Johns just inside the final minute of the half gave the Missionaries a 32-24 lead.
Anderegg couldn't get untracked before halftime, and like her teammates, was denied recompense for aggressive play. The host Wildcats attempted 12 first-half free throws to Whitman's two. And the Missionaries struggled to knock down shots: Aside from Johns (12 points on 6-of-8 shooting) and White (3 of 4), Whitman made just 5 of 20 field goals.
But Anderegg kept attacking and ended up making 11 of 12 free throws. She also hit 5 of 10 field goals.
"This is a good start to a crucial three-game stretch for us," Ferenz said.
Whitman visits George Fox at 4 p.m. Saturday in Newberg, Ore.
