PORTLAND, Ore.  Whitman had no answer for Lewis and Clark senior forward Ayisat Afolabi in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game Saturday evening at the Pamplin Sports Center.

Afolabi scored a career-high 27 points and spearheaded a dominant effort on the glass with 12 rebounds as the Pioneers dealt the 18th-ranked Blues a 79-70 loss, dropping them into third place in the league.

Whitman (14-2, 5-2 in conference) absorbed its second consecutive defeat after starting the season 14-0. Its game against No. 21 George Fox in Newberg at 2 p.m. on Sunday offers an opportunity to regain sole possession of second place with a win -- or fall all the way to fourth place with a loss.

Foul trouble wreaked havoc on Whitman's rotation and put Lewis and Clark (12-5, 5-3) at the line for 42 free throw attempts, more than double the Blues' 19. The Pioneers scored 30 of their 79 points at the line.

Chelsi Brewer, the only Whitman starter to stay out of foul trouble, helped keep Whitman in striking distance with 21 points on 7-of-11 field goal shooting in 38 hard-fought minutes. Brewer's layin with 4:13 left in the third quarter gave Whitman a 41-40 advantage, its last lead of the game.

Emily Rommel added 11 points before fouling out and Casey Poe chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Despite serious, early foul trouble and Afolabi's ongoing rampage in the first half, Whitman pieced together enough quality possessions and stops to slink into halftime down by only one point. Mady Burdett's 3-point swish at the halftime buzzer left the Blues trailing 32-31.

Whitman head coach Michelle Ferenz was forced to go to the bench early and often in the first half, as starters Sierra McGarity, Casey Poe and Alysse Ketner each were called for two personal fouls within the game's first 13 minutes. Key frontcourt reserve Maegan Martin also picked up her second personal midway through the second quarter.

In addition to altering Ferenz's rotations, Whitman's foul trouble also led to a significant scoring discrepancy at the free throw line. The Blues shot five free throws, making two. Lewis and Clark was 10 for 12 at the stripe in the first half.

Afolabi was the best player on the floor over the first 20 minutes, pouring in 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Whitman's frontcourt brigade eventually mounted a response, and was the catalyst behind a strong second-quarter finishing kick. Makana Stone and Emily Rommel scored twice apiece inside during a 9-2 Whitman run.

Caitlin Mazzoleni came off the bench to score eight points for the Blues. Fellow reserve Stone added seven points and five rebounds.

Lewis and Clark outrebounded the Blues 39-28 while committing 21 personal fouls to Whitman's 34.