WALLA WALLA, Wash. – A late third-quarter rally wrested back a lead that Whitman College had originally forged throughout a stellar first half, and the Whitties then pulled away in the fourth quarter to open their Northwest Conference slate with a 78-62 victory over visiting Linfield College Friday night at the Sherwood Athletics Center. Whitman's Alysse Ketner paced all scorers with a game-high 17 points.

Five other Whitties scored in double-figures as the team continued its unbeaten streak to start the season, reaching a 5-0 mark overall and starting off 1-0 in the league. The Wildcats dropped to 5-2 and 0-1, respectively.

Whitman -- the nation's leader in field-goal percentage at 54.5 percent -- started inauspiciously on the night, missing its first two shots, both layups, while at the other end of the court Linfield knocked down the game's first four points. Finally, a layup from Ketner broke the seal over the basket and Whitman was off and running.

A 3-pointer from Ketner the next offensive possession moved the Whitties in front and they eventually toted a 39-30 lead into the halftime break.

Four unanswered points at the open of the third quarter that extended the lead to 13 seemed to signal the first-half momentum would continue, but that would be a horribly incorrect guess.

Over the next 4 minutes and 53 seconds the Wildcats would spring into a 19-0 run to leap ahead 49-43. At the 4:10 mark of the quarter Chelsi Brewer would drain a long-range jumper from beyond the arc to end the drought and get Whitman rolling again.

Over that final 4:10 in the third the Whitties would out score Linfield by a 12-3 count, then open up some breathing room in a 23-10 fourth quarter finish.

Ketner played a major role in the forging of the lead, the comeback, and finally the fourth-quarter finish. Along with her game-high points total she also led Whitman in rebounds, with seven, added three assists and came up with five steals.

Casey Poe proved to be the sneakiest thief on the night, adding a game-best six steals to her 12 point, four rebound and four assist night. Brewer finished with 13 points, and the trio of Hailey McDonald, Sierra McGarity and Maegen Martin each added 10 points for the Whitties.

Whitman won the battle on the boards, 32-27, but it was the proclivity to make nearly every Linfield turnover a costly mistake that helped decide the game.

Whitman finished with 35 points off 25 Wildcat turnovers while allowing the visitors to capitalize on Whittie miscues to the tune of only five points. The home team also struck a decided edge in deep, piling up a 26-6 advantage in points scored in the paint.

Linfield's Paige Graham, with 16 points, led four Wildcats into double figures but the remaining players taking the floor totaled only 13 points.

The conference slate continues Saturday for Whitman with a visit from Lewis & Clark College in a 4 p.m. contest at Sherwood.