WALLA WALLA, Wash. - After dropping the past two games at home; Whitman College found its winning formula again. Whitman ran out to an early lead Friday night against Willamette University and held the Bearcats off in the second half for a 60-49 win. The fourth quarter has not been friendly to the Missionaries the last couple games, but that spell was broken on a night that Whitman scored 19 fourth quarter points.

With 6:30 to go in the closing quarter, Willamette scored on a layup that cut the Whitman lead to six. Alysse Ketner buried a three-point shot that gave the Missionaries a big boost coming down the stretch. Every time the game tilted Whitman's way, the Bearcats would string a run together to claw their way back. Finally, with five minutes to play in the final quarter the Missionaries' defense clamped down, which provided opportunities for the offense to put the game away.

"When they reverse the on ball screen they are really effective," Head coach Michelle Ferenz said of the Bearcats. "But we changed some things we did ball pressure wise and that got us what we needed."

Whitman ended the first quarter with a 20-12 lead over Willamette. Guard, Casey Poe got the team going with five points in the opening quarter and four second-chance points helped propel the Whits to the lead. The lead stayed at eight for the Missionaries for most of the second quarter as the team entered the halftime break leading 41-33.

Senior, Hailey Ann Maeda entered the half with 10 points and connected on three straight shots to extend the Missionary lead at one point in the 4th quarter. Poe added seven points to the mix and Chelsi Brewer contributed six. Whitman's defense was critical and very effective, forcing Willamette into situations in which they were not able to handle the pressure.

Maeda said the team stopped playing their game during their slump, "We weren't playing our game," Maeda said. "This week we focused on getting back to our strict defense and the basics. That made a difference."

Whitman stayed at arm's length for most of the second half. The Bearcats pulled even at 33-33, but Brewer sparked a Whit run that would eventually put the game out of reach for Willamette. Brewer got a steal-and-score, forced a Bearcat turnover and then drew a foul on the following possession. The lead was pushed to 16 at one point and Whitman finished the game in fine fashion.

Whitman will be home again tomorrow night for a big game against the nation's second-ranked team in George Fox University. The game is set to tip at 4 p.m. PST at the Sherwood Center.