WALLA WALLA, Wash. It was Throwback Night at Sherwood Center on Friday.
Not in any official capacity. Nothing was announced. There were no retro jerseys. Just a meticulous, heartfelt, thoughtful, relentless performance on display by the home team, exemplifying the
Michelle Ferenz brand throughout a sublime 16-year head coaching odyssey at Whitman College.
The Blues' 88-41 win over Pacific Lutheran University in a Northwest Conference game was the 250th victory of Ferenz's career at Whitman. All 14 players on the Blues' roster played, and scored at least one basket. Thirteen different players made at least two baskets.
The majority of minutes were played by reserves, with no break in focus or intensity.
"There was no let-down," Ferenz said.
No let-down. If another three words better define the Ferenz way, perhaps they'll emerge by the time win No. 500 strolls along.
Mady Burdett came off the bench for the 16th-ranked Blues (14-0, 5-0 in NWC) to lead all scorers with 14 points.
Casey Poe added 13 points and four steals.
Maegen Martin had 10 points off the bench. Fellow reserve
Anissia Hughes had nine points, three steals and one more assist (seven) than the entire PLU roster.
Makana Stone came off the pine to snag a team-high six rebounds. Whitman out-rebounded the Lutes 37-33, forced 25 turnovers, had 19 assists against just 10 turnovers, and won every quarter by at least eight points.
"I really liked our defensive intensity," said Ferenz. "It never let down. The kids made the right adjustments.
"They all keep getting better and better," she added. "They really like each other. They're having fun. It's mid-January, it's freezing-cold outside, and they're having a blast."
Immediately after the game, Ferenz (250-153 career, 148-96 in NWC) was presented with a plaque from Whitman and the W Club by President of the College Kathleen Murray, a bouquet of flowers from Provost and Dean of the Faculty Alzada Tipton, and a blue, paper cutout in the shape of '250' signed by every player.
Ferenz's first dabble in what was to become her specialty (winning) came on Nov. 30, 2001 with a home victory over Evergreen State College. Her first conference victory came later that winter against PLU.
Ferenz's 200th win came against Whitworth in the second round of the NCAA Division III national tournament on March 8, 2014. She became the program's winningest coach earlier that season -- the greatest in Whitman women's basketball history -- when she picked up career victory No. 179, passing John Wilcox. Ferenz was named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year by her conference coaching peers and West Region Coach of the Year by
d3hoops.com after leading the Blues to the national championship game that March.
Whitman put Friday's contest out of reach in the second quarter. Blues bench players had 17 points in a 19-3 stretch that buried the Lutes, who made just two field goals in the period against the nation's 15th-stingiest scoring defense. Hughes sparkled down the first-half stretch, personally outscoring PLU 6-2 over the final 2:47.
Poe opened the game on a personal 8-3 run and finished the quarter with 13 points on perfect shooting from the floor, including 3 of 3 on 3-pointers, as the Blues opened a 19-9 lead. The Lutes had six turnovers in the opening period and 14 by halftime.
Whitman was well on its way.
"I've been lucky," Ferenz said. "I love the kids, and I've always had great assistants, people who value what we do, and who work above and beyond their pay grade. My husband (and assistant coach) Chris has always been super-supportive."
Whitman faces its biggest conference challenge of the season, to date, when it hosts 18th-ranked University of Puget Sound at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
