WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Whitman enacted some revenge Friday on the eve of an even more critical rematch.

Chelsi Brewer's steal and free throw with 4.8 seconds left helped the 17th-ranked Blues escape -- by the enamel of their teeth -- for a 63-61 victory over Lewis and Clark in Northwest Conference women's basketball at Sherwood Center.

The Pioneers, who remain the only team this season to have defeated Whitman (21-3, 12-3 NWC) without overtime, failed to get a shot up before the final buzzer. Seconds earlier, with its deficit at just one point, Lewis and Clark threw an inbounds pass that Brewer intercepted.

Brewer's theft was emblematic of a fourth quarter the Blues survived by digging in on defense as their offensive execution wandered.

"We had to," Whitman head coach Michelle Ferenz said. "We just had to."

Brewer had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Casey Poe and Maegen Martin added 12 points each for the winners, who made just one basket over the final 7:31 of the game and missed eight of their final 14 free throws.

"Lewis and Clark is the one team in the conference we don't match up with," said Ferenz. "We did a good job of keeping our composure."

Friday's game was odd in that whatever its outcome, Whitman's season finale against No. 24 George Fox University at 4 p.m. on Saturday would decide second place in the NWC. The trick was to treat the Pioneers (15-9, 8-7 NWC) as more than a distraction.

"I'm glad we got this one," Ferenz said. "I'm sure the kids will be dialed in for (George Fox)."

The Blues appeared to have Lewis and Clark on the ropes midway through the fourth quarter, opening a 56-49 lead on Alysse Ketner's free throw with 5:24 to play. But Whitman kept splitting free throws, and the Pioneers crept back in. Sara Hogman's easy transition layup pulled the visitors within one, 60-59, with 2:13 left.

Makana Stone, who shared team-high rebounding honors at seven with Brewer and Emily Rommel, grabbed her biggest board of the night on Whitman's ensuing possession, snatching a missed free throw and immediately elevating for a bank shot -- and 62-59 lead.

The Blues' offensive woes -- such as 4-for-15 shooting in the fourth -- were offset some by ferocious rebounding. They owned a 47-27 advantage on the glass.

Lewis and Clark scored the final seven points of the first half in a 53-second flurry, culminating in Deja Nicholas' put-back at the buzzer to make it 30-30. It was a disheartening turn for Whitman, which had stacked unanswered baskets by Brewer, Martin and Rommel to stretch a 30-23 lead with just under two minutes left in the second quarter.

Although the Blues effectively denied Ayisat Afolabi (22 points) the kind of looks her team's offense is designed to create, they struggled protecting the ball. Whitman's 15 first-half turnovers also somewhat neutralized the impact of a terrific shooting performance (13 of 25, 52 percent).

Brewer had six of her eight first-half points in the opening quarter, and Martin five of her seven. The Blues made eight of their 12 shots in the first period and led 20-15 after one.