WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Foul trouble, a feisty opponent and other factors conspired to test Whitman's depth and versatility in its final home game of 2017.

The sixth-ranked Blues passed.

All-tournament selection Casey Poe had 26 points, six rebounds and six assists, first-year Kaelan Shamseldin added 16 points and five steals, and junior Maegen Martin came off the bench to post 16 points and eight rebounds as Whitman beat Evergreen State College of the NAIA Cascade Collegiate Conference 89-76 in the final game of the 12th annual Kim Evanger Raney Memorial Classic at Sherwood Athletic Center here Saturday.

The Geoducks, who pushed Whitman's rival, Whitworth, to the brink before suffering a two-point loss in the opening round of the tournament on Friday, found success driving to the basket against the Blues.

Whitman, in turn, discovered a chink in its armor -- just in time for the start of conference play.

"They definitely exposed some things," Blues senior forward Sierra McGarity said. "They were a lot bigger and quicker than we're used to in conference. It's good to learn from our mistakes."

Whitman (4-1) won the third quarter 26-17 and scored the first six points of the fourth to pull away, but were strenuously taxed en route. McGarity's humble, yeoman's stat line -- two blocks, two assists, two rebounds in 31 minutes -- belied the enlarged roles she and other teammates, veteran and rookie alike, were forced to play due to the serious foul problems encountered by Whitman's starting front line.

Starting power forward Makana Stone played just nine minutes; she entered the game averaging 16 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 22 minutes per game. Martin, her backup, was also slapped with two quick personals in the first quarter.

That meant both more minutes and an expanded, often foreign defensive work-load for McGarity and key reserve Lily Gustafson (three rebounds, three assists, one blocked shot off the bench). It also forced the Blues to find scoring, passing and rebounding with different combinations.

"We adjusted. People were able to step up," said McGarity. "We were able to find different rotations that were successful."

"Every game, especially at this point of the season, we see different styles," added Blues head coach Michelle Ferenz. "We weren't really ready. They tried to just drive us and drive us and drive us."

Whitman finally shook the Geoducks loose with a balanced barrage midway through the third quarter. Shamseldin 3-pointers bookended an 11-2 run to the 4:16 mark that gave the hosts a 55-46 lead. Martin, Poe, Stone and Taylor Chambers had baskets during an 8-2 Blues spurt toward the end of the quarter, which ended with Whitman ahead 66-56.

In the fourth quarter, senior center Emily Rommel -- who also battled foul trouble -- had nine of her 13 points.

"We settled in, got into our offense and calmed down a little," McGarity said of Whitman's second half.

Poe had a sparkling second quarter to help Whitman get back in the game and ultimately sneak into recess with a lead. She had help from Shamseldin, who opened the period with a 3-pointer and had three steals as the Blues dug in defensively.

Poe made a jumper to cut the Evergreen lead to 24-23 and later pulled Whitman even by ripping down a rebound, dribbling coast-to-coast and scoring while being fouled. Her free throw made it 26-all.

Poe had two free throws and made a 3-pointer after Shamseldin found her across court in transition to bring the Blues to within 34-33 after a 6-0 Geoducks run. Poe's free throws at the 1:03 mark gave Whitman its first lead since early in the first quarter.

A 3-pointer by Jahpera McEachin put Evergreen ahead 39-38 with 26 seconds until halftime, but Gustafson reclaimed the lead for the hosts with a layin on Whitman's ensuing trip.

Poe was 5 for 5 from the free throw line in the quarter and made all seven of her freebies in the half. She had 16 points and four assists over the first 20 minutes.

Evergreen's talented frontcourt feasted in the first quarter as Whitman found itself in immediate foul trouble at the power forward position. Stone picked up two quick personals and spent the final 17:17 of the half on the bench. Martin absorbed her second personal at the 5:30 mark.

The Geoducks hurt the Blues with drive after drive down the key and were rewarded with numerous trips to the foul line after body contact. Evergreen's lead swelled to as large as eight, 22-14, late in the period.

Martin put back her own miss and scored inside on an assist from Poe as the Blues closed to 22-18 at quarter's end.

The Geoducks (0-2), who are coached by former Pacific Lutheran University guru Gil Rigell, were led by McEachin (24 points) and Cayla Jones (30 points, 17 of 20 at free throw line). They joined Poe, Whitworth's Madison Moffat and Walla Walla University's Carolina Montes on the all-tournament team.

Poe was 11 for 11 at the line and had two steals and one block. Rommel had seven rebounds. Stone was 4 of 6 from the floor and had eight points and three offensive rebounds in limited run.

"We only had Makana for nine minutes. Casey played well; her line was amazing. Kaelan had a nice second half," said Ferenz. "I feel like we've seen a little bit of everything. Tonight, we had a little adversity and we had to make adjustments. They exposed some things we need to work on."

Whitman embarks on a six-game road trip in December, and will squeak sneaks in Tacoma, Spokane and San Antonio before returning to the familiar confines of Sherwood for Northwest Conference games against Pacific (on Jan. 5) and Lewis and Clark (on Jan. 6).

The Blues begin conference play at 6 p.m. on Friday against PLU in Parkland, Wash.