McMINNVILLE, Ore.  For the second time this season Whitman's 18th-ranked women's basketball team doubled down on Linfield College, this time coming away with a 97-48 Northwest Conference victory on the Wildcats' home court at Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Five players hit for double-figures in the win for the Blues, who pounded the area around the rim for 56 points in the paint and a commanding 16-rebound edge on the glass.

In early January Whitman (19-2, 10-2 NWC) hosted Linfield (9-12, 3-9), securing a 74-37 victory that at the time was the Blues' 12th consecutive win. Since falling from the undefeated ranks with a pair of losses Whitman has now won five straight by an average of over 19 per game.

On Saturday the hosts put up a fight early, but lost control late in the second quarter after pulling within four points, 24-20, of favored Whitman. A 7-0 run pushed the Blues' lead into double-digits where it stayed. Beginning with and including that seven-point run Whitman was able to run up a 73-28 advantage over the final 23 minutes, 17 seconds.

As its said, 'until you find a way to stop it, we'll just keep doin' it,' and that is exactly what Whitman did. Linfield had no answer for the Blues' power down low, allowing the visitors to notch more than half their points from in close.

At one point in the fourth quarter Whitman almost had as many offensive rebounds, 18, as did Linfield overall, 19. The numbers improved for the home team over the final minutes but the die had been cast and the final rebounding margin, 47-31, heavily favored the Blues.

Emily Rommel came down with a game-high eight boards, while three teammates -- Makana Stone, Maegen Martin and Anissia Hughes -- each pulled down six rebounds.

Unsurprisingly, two of those four finished the night in double-figures as both Martin and Hughes registered 13-point nights. The Blues were led, though, by Chelsi Brewer's 15 points. Casey Poe scored 13 and Natalie Whitesel came off the bench to add 10 for a season best, as was Hughes' total.

Linfield's Molly Danielson, with 10 points, was the only Wildcat to reach double figures in scoring.

It's 97 points is the second highest output this season by Whitman, which in December had downed a visiting Colorado College squad by a score of 104-43.

Next up for Whitman is another weekend on the road, starting off Friday at No. 7 University of Puget Sound and finishing up at Pacific Lutheran University the next day. Puget Sound handed the Blues their first loss of the season with the Loggers' 73-71 overtime victory in Walla Walla on January 14.