McMINNVILLE, Ore.  With key players attracting whistles at the rate they typically amass points, Whitman discovered just how deep it is in rescuing a 69-62 victory over Linfield Friday that kept the sixth-ranked Blues perfect in Northwest Conference competition.

Foul trouble gouged minutes from Casey Poe, Makana Stone and Maegen Martin, but Whitman (15-1, 7-0 in NWC) made enough plays down the stretch to hold off the Wildcats, who shot 46 percent from deep and received a career-high 21 points from Kory Oleson.

"It's hard in the Northwest Conference, especially on the road," Whitman head coach Michelle Ferenz said. "We made enough plays. We got it done. It wasn't one of our better games in terms of execution. It showed us some things we need to improve on."

The Blues led the entire second half, but saw their lead whittled down to one point on an Oleson 3-pointer with 4:02 left in the game. Emily Rommel's three-point play restored a two-possession lead, but it wasn't until the final minute, when Poe went six for six at the free throw line, that Whitman could breathe easy.

"(Linfield) played well, and they've been playing well. I don't know if we were ready for how well they were going to play," said Ferenz.

Poe and Rommel had crucial offensive rebounds in the final minutes, and Sierra McGarity dived on the floor to tie up a loose ball with the possession arrow favoring Whitman.

"We just kind of…survived," Ferenz said.

Stone had 18 points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes of action, shooting 8 of 13 from the floor. She picked up her fourth personal foul late in the third quarter. Poe added 17 points and was 10 of 10 at the line. Rommel scored 10 points and added nine rebounds, and Martin, who was called for her fourth foul early in the final period, chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.

The Blues were not themselves, offensively, shooting a tick above 40 percent from the floor and tallying just 11 assists. They came into the game leading the conference in shooting percentage (just over 50 percent) and the nation in assists per game.

"It just felt like we a had a stretch where we couldn't do anything right," said Ferenz. "I was more ticked off on the offensive end. Our shot selection was poor."

Foul trouble limited Poe to just seven minutes in the first half, but Whitman's superior defense and depth mitigated the impact of her absence. The Blues held Linfield to just nine made field goals and 33.3 percent shooting while forcing 11 turnovers and scoring 15 points off the bench, checking into recess with a 33-25 lead.

The Wildcats made just two baskets over the final five minutes of the second quarter, both coming on put-backs of shot attempts that failed to draw iron.

Poe, who nailed a 3-pointer on Whitman's first possession of the second quarter, picked up her second personal foul on Linfield's ensuing trip down floor and sat the rest of the period. She still managed to pace the Blues in scoring with seven first-half points. Stone (six points, four rebounds), Kaelan Shamseldin (six points), Mady Burdett (three steals) and McGarity (three assists) circled the wagons while Poe sat.

Whitman overcame one of its slowest starts of the season to build a 16-10 lead after one quarter. Despite making just two of its first 11 shots, the Blues contained Linfield defensively (forcing six first-quarter turnovers) and pried open some separation at the end of the period. Shamseldin came off the bench and splashed two 3-pointers as part of a 10-2, quarter-ending Blues run.

Linfield fell to 7-9 overall and 3-4 in league.

The Blues visit Willamette at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Notes: Poe has scored 986 points during her Whitman career … Willamette (10-6, 6-1) is on a six-game winning streak. The Bearcats are probably the most improved team in the NWC. Willamette was 5-11 in conference last season … Whitman entered Friday's game averaging 20.6 assists per game, first among Division III women's teams in the country.