FOREST GROVE, Ore. - Saturday night Whitman College's women's basketball team traveled to Forest Grove for a Northwest Conference matchup against Pacific University. Whitman's Hailey Ann Maeda collected a double-double and led the team to a solid third quarter performance that put the game out of reach for the Boxers in the 66-45 victory for the Whits.

Whitman (11-1, 4-0 NWC) led by six points to begin the second half, but the team pushed the lead to 15 within the first two minutes of the third quarter, putting the Boxers in a tough spot. In the fourth quarter the Whittie defense clamped down, allowing just five Pacific (5-8, 0-4 NWC) points and collected a perfect 4-0 start in conference play.

Junior, Alysse Ketner led Whitman in scoring with 14 points, but was joined by Maeda (10 points) and Sierra McGarity (11) in double-digit scoring. Maeda led the team in rebounds with 10, securing a double-double on the night. The Whitties shot 50 percent from beyond the arch and out-rebounded the Boxers 29-20 while grabbing 13 offensive boards.

Although Whitman led for all but a few seconds of the first quarter, the lead was never more than five for the Whitties. Maeda and Casey Poe combined for eight of the team's first 10 points and got Whitman started off on the right foot.

The second quarter started with McGarity converting a jumper and extending the Whit lead to four. Pacific fought their way back into the lead with 5:53 remaining in the first half as Whitman faced a two-point deficit. Ketner converted a three-pointer that gave the Whits the lead back and Whitman outscored the Boxers 14-6 in the half's final four minutes.

Hailey McDonald collected four of her six assists in the first half, which led all players. Whitman shot an astounding 66.7 percent from the three-point line in the half and of the 16 Whittie field goals, the team had accumulated 11 assists in the game, as the ball moved well between teammates.

Whitman's lead grew from six to 15 in just a minute and a half. The Boxers' hopes for handing the Whitties their first conference loss quickly became close to impossible. The lead was briefly cut to single digits, but Whitman was not going to allow a comeback as the lead was pushed back out to 15 by the end of the quarter.

Five points is all the Whits allowed the Boxers to score in the game's final 10 minutes. In what was a close first half of play, Whitman was able to pull out a decisive win over Pacific on the road. Whitman is on the road again next weekend for games against No. 3 George Fox University and Willamette University.