Box Score

By Roy Elia

TACOMA - Heather Johns scored a game-high 23 points to lead No. 3 nationally-ranked and Northwest Conference-leading Whitman to a 76-64 victory over Puget Sound in a women's collegiate basketball game Saturday night in the UPS Fieldhouse.

Tonight's win, number 21 this season, broke the Whitman Women's Basketball regular season win record set last season at 20-4.

"This group keeps raising the bar," said Head Coach Michelle Ferenz.

In tonight's contest, Johns made 6-of-13 shots from the floor and sank 11 of her 13 free-throw attempts in the game as Whitman improved to 12-0 in the NWC and 21-0 overall.

Sarah Anderegg and Tiffani Traver provided added punch to the Missionary offense with 19 and 15 points, respectively. The two combined for 11-of-22 shooting from the floor and nine made free throws in 12 tries. Traver enhanced her game resume' with three 3-point field goals on six attempts.

As a team, Whitman shot a respectable 44 percent (25-of-57) from the field and 74 percent (23-for-31) on the charity stripe.

The Loggers slipped to 6-6 and 13-8 with the loss.

Both teams enjoyed five-point leads in a hotly-contested first half. The Missionaries - who built a pair of five-point cushions in half one - jumped out to a 5-0 lead on a Traver trey with 18:48 on the clock.

UPS grabbed a 20-15 lead on an Alexis Noren layup at the 9:47 mark.

Whitman used a 13-3 run over the next six minutes plus to claim a 28-23 lead. Anderegg capped the spurt with a jumper 3:32 before halftime.

The Loggers rallied to tie the game at 28-28, but it would be the Missionaries taking a one-point edge, 33-32, into halftime.

Whitman busted the game open with a 9-0 surge over a 4:32 stretch after intermission. Alysse Ketner sank a free throw to put the Missionaries in front, 53-43, with 11:05 left.

Whitman's margin grew to 16, 67-51 on a Meghan White layin with 4:46 to go.

"UPS played well and a lot of things did not go our way. We made adjustments and got ourselves a buffer. They were pressuring hard in the first half. We were better (offensively) in the second half. We rebounded better. This (UPS Fieldhouse) is a hard place to win." Said Ferenz.

The Missionaries stage their final home stand of the regular season next weekend. They host second-place George Fox on Friday and Linfield on Saturday.

Ferenz's final comments when asked about next weekend's match up with George Fox and Linfield, "They'll be ready and so will we. It will be senior weekend. A big weekend."