WALLA WALLA, Wash. – A dominant opening quarter set the tone for Whitman College Saturday evening as the host Whitties turned a quick eight-point lead into a 64-48 non-conference victory over visiting Southwestern (Texas) University on the middle day of the three-day Kim Evanger Raney '02 Memorial Classic in Sherwood Athletics Center.
Whitman (7-1) never trailed in the contest, leaping out a 6-0 advantage over the Pirates (1-6) in the opening minutes. In less than six minutes of action the Whitties scored their eighth point of the quarter, a figure that would exceed Southwestern's total by one for the entire 10-minute quarter.
The Pirates picked up a few more buckets in the second quarter but the die had already been cast as the home team also out scored it's first-quarter output, taking a 32-18 lead into the halftime break.
A hounding defense and a powerful night on the glass were the main culprits in Whitman's 16-point victory.
Led by
Hailey McDonald's game-high seven steals the Whitties rang up a total of 17 thefts. And the battle of the boards was easily captured by the home team with
Hailey Ann Maeda and
Maegen Martin each ripping down nine rebounds apiece, nearly totaling half of Whitman's eventual 40-28 edge over the Pirates.
Maeda was the spark in the game's initial run for Whitman, registering a steal on Southwestern's first possession, and then sinking both free throw attempts after a foul by Tori Carroway. A Pirates turnover turned into a jumper by
Casey Poe for the 4-0 lead and then a steal and fast-break layup by McDonald added the next two points.
Southwestern finally got on the scoreboard at the 5:46 mark of the quarter, behind a 3-pointer from Olivia Podaras. But a Poe jumper followed by a Maeda layup after she'd ripped down a defensive rebound pushed the lead to 10-3 and the rout was in gear.
Whitman's defense allowed the Pirates to shoot just 28 percent from the floor on the night while limiting the visitors to just five players that would tally any points in the loss.
Conversely, the Whitties finished the night at 47 percent on the floor and 11 different players scored.
Poe, with 12 points, was one of three that reached double digits in scoring for Whitman. Maeda and
Alysse Ketner both finished with 10 points, and
Emily Rommel nearly joined them adding eight points in only 14 minutes of game action.
Southwestern's Audrey Garcia poured in 19 points in the loss while Podaras chipped in 11 more.
In earlier action Saturday, Cal Lutheran University escaped with a 71-61 victory over Whitworth University.
Sunday's finale of the Evanger Raney Classic pits the two Pirates -- Southwestern and Whitworth -- against each other in a 2 p.m. match-up.
Whitman is off until the end of December when it travels to Nashville, Tennessee, for the Music City Classic on Dec. 29 and 30.
