WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Whitman College's women's basketball team won its home opener Saturday against the College of Idaho. The Yotes kept it close through the first quarter, but from there the Whitties gradually pulled away, eventually securing a 79-47 victory.
Whitman (2-0) had five players in double-digit scoring led by first year forward,
Maegen Martin who scored 15. Senior
Hailey Ann Maeda and junior,
Alysse Ketner each scored 14, while guards,
Chelsi Brewer and
Hailey McDonald contributed ten points each. The Whitties assisted on 20 of their 33 field goals and shot an astounding 58 percent on the night.
Whitman jumped out to a quick nine-point lead to start the game, but the College of Idaho (0-4) clawed back into the contest before the end of the first quarter. The Whitties used the second quarter to extend their lead as they outscored the Yotes by seven, pushing the lead to ten at the halftime break.
The Whitties used a stellar third quarter to put the game out of reach. The Yotes were unable to keep up with Whitman's hot shooting as the lead was stretched to 26 before the end of the quarter. Sophomore,
Casey Poe scored both of her field goals in the third quarter and five other Whitties recorded baskets to help Whitman increase its lead.
Brewer led all players in assists with six and Maeda's seven rebounds led all players in the category. It was a great team effort on the Whitties' home opening night as nine different players contributed points to the team's win. The staggering Whitman defense held the College of Idaho to just five assists and really prevented the ball from moving much. The Whitties finished with 36 points in the paint and 34 rebounds as Whitman proved to be too much for the Yotes.
Arguably, the most impressive stat of the night was Whitman's starters' field goal percentage, which reached over 65 percent and totaled 44 points. The bench for the Whitties responded by scoring 35 points on the night, as Whitman played itself to a win in front of its home crowd.
Whitman plays again on November 24 in Portland, Ore. against Multnomah University and will return home again on December 4 for its Northwest Conference opener against Linfield College.
