Box Score
By Ben Zimmerman
SALEM, Ore. -- After a 32-point victory over Warner Pacific last Monday which kept her fourth-ranked Missionaries undefeated, the restless perfectionism of Whitman head coach Michelle Ferenz was on display.
She was "pleased," but wanted better half-court execution by her offense in anticipation of the looming conference grind, when cheap buckets are an endangered species.
Whitman obliged its head coach at Willamette's expense Friday, dissecting its hosts with an array of methodical sets and crisp cuts en route to a 76-45 victory in the Northwest Conference women's basketball opener for both schools.
The Missionaries improved to 10-0 while surrendering their second-lowest point total of the season. They scored just one fast-break basket in building a hearty, 36-17 halftime lead which Willamette never threatened to capsize.
"In conference, people know you so well. You're not going to get the easy baskets," Ferenz said. "(The half court offense) was much improved. It would have been better, but a few times we got exactly the shot we wanted and couldn't finish."
Whitman's half-court excellence was manifest in its scoring balance -- four players scored in double figures. It also helped account for 46% field goal shooting (32 of 69). The Missionaries pounded the ball inside to Sarah Anderegg (14 points, 7-of-10 shooting) and Meghan White (10 points) or flared their bigs to the high post, creating cutting lanes and shooting windows for Heather Johns (13 points) and Tiffani Traver (11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 3-of-4 3-point shooting).
Whitman's first-half offensive efficiency was especially impressive considering that Anderegg spent the final 10 minutes on the bench with two fouls. White welcomed the added post burden with gusto, recording her second double-double in as many games with 11 rebounds while swatting three shots.
"She definitely rose to the challenge," Ferenz said. "She has a radar for the ball."
Anderegg opened the second half with a vengeance, scoring eight quick points as the Missionaries' lead mushroomed to 60-30 in the initial five, furious minutes.
The blowout victory was underwritten by tenacious man-to-man defense. Seamless switching on screens and quick help defense helped Whitman hold Willamette's unorthodox motion offense to 32 percent shooting (19 of 59) from the floor.
"They don't really run things through the post. It was an interesting matchup," said Ferenz. "We did a pretty nice job assisting on the perimeter, especially our post players. If we hadn't, we would have been in trouble."
Johns chipped in seven rebounds as Whitman dominated the glass 48-33. Anderegg had five rebounds and Hailey McDonald chipped in eight points.
"I was pleased that the things we worked on in practice in the last week showed up in the game," said Ferenz, whose squad visits Pacific at 4 p.m. today in Forest Grove, Ore. "We improved. It's all about baby steps.
"I like going on the road and winning," she added. "It's never easy to get a conference win on the road."
It just looked easy.
BOX SCORE
