WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Twice in the last 30 seconds, Whitman had shots in the air that would have tied its Northwest Conference women's basketball season finale against George Fox at the Sherwood Center Saturday.

Twice, those shots refused to fall.

Fortunately for the 17th-ranked Blues, the ensuing 65-62 loss did not exhaust their mulligans. Whitman (21-4, 12-4 in conference) will face George Fox (21-4, 13-3) in an NWC tournament semifinal on Thursday in Newberg, Oregon, where it defeated the Bruins 82-74 on Jan. 22.

"Now, it's all about our response," said fired-up Whitman head coach Michelle Ferenz. "They responded to us winning at their place by beating us at ours. How are we gonna respond? What are we gonna do? Are we going to fix it, be tougher? I guess we'll find out Thursday.

"I know I'm ready to go."

The fix was easy to identify, although implementing it will be more difficult. The Blues were mauled inside by No. 24 George Fox, surrendering 20 offensive rebounds, losing the glass battle 52-45 and allowing the visitors to convert 23 of 50 shots inside. Meanwhile, Whitman shot 31 percent (23 of 72) from the field, including 9 of 35 in the second half.

It got easy shots, but did not make them.

"We didn't block out. We didn't finish easy chances. We didn't make lay-ups," Ferenz lamented. "We didn't execute down the stretch."

Makana Stone's personal 8-2 run almost rescued the Blues, her bank shot from five feet out tying the game at 62-all with 52.5 seconds left. But Kaycee Creech peeled around a screen and swooped in for an uncontested layin to give the Bruins a 64-62 lead with 37 seconds left.

Emily Rommel's 13-foot jumper was just off the mark on Whitman's next trip.

After GF made a free throw, Mady Burdett launched a heavily-contested 3-pointer as the clock winded down, the shot ticking just wide.

Maegen Martin led the Blues with 12 points and seven rebounds. Casey Poe added 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, Stone had 11 points and five rebounds, and Alysse Ketner chipped in nine points, six rebounds and three of Whitman's nine steals.

Whitman started the game at such a fever pitch, the lull which followed felt inevitable. Chelsi Brewer, one of the two Blues seniors honored before the game, splashed a 3-pointer on Whitman's first possession. A put-back by Stone, Brewer layup in transition on a perfectly-measured pass from Poe, and a coast-to-coast drive by Poe made it 9-0, three minutes in.

George Fox -- its roster includes eight players 5-foot-11 or taller -- reined in the pace. The Bruins outscored Whitman 18-9 down the stretch, taking an 18-15 lead on a basket with 44 seconds left in the quarter.

Burdett's 3-pointer from the corner after Poe found her hovering, all alone, swished through with six seconds to go. The first ended in an 18-18 tie.

Poe had five points and Marin four in a 9-2 Whitman run which gave it a six-point lead with 2:57 left in the second quarter, but George Fox scored the last six of the period to force a 31-31 deadlock at the break.

The Blues played most of the first half without starting post Emily Rommel, who was forced to sit for the duration after picking up her second personal foul at the 7:11 mark of the first half. Martin spelled her and led all scorers in the first half with 10 points. Poe was halfway to a triple-double (nine points, five rebounds, four assists) at halftime, and Ketner had three of Whitman's six steals.

George Fox opened the second half on a 10-0 run. The Blues climbed back into striking range, but struggles at the free throw line – where they went three for their last six – exerted drag.