WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Can't say that it was never in doubt, but an early lead, a halftime edge, and an overpowering second half led Whitman's women's basketball team to an 83-62 Northwest Conference victory Friday evening at the Sherwood Athletic Center.

The Blues (17-1, 9-0 NWC) -- ranked fourth in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll, and sixth (with one first-place vote) in the D3hoops.com listing -- trailed in the game twice, at 2-0 and 4-2, but used an 8-0 run when tied at 6-6 to take command of their eventual win over the Loggers (8-10, 3-6).

All-American Casey Poe initiated the run with a jumper from the right, followed by a Logger turnover and subsequent jumper from in close by Makana Stone.

A defensive foul by Puget Sound's Meghan Hamel after a miss put Stone on the line for two free ones, and then another foul sent Taylor Chambers to the stripe for another pair of free throws.

The Loggers went more than four minutes without a field goal during Whitman's stretch. A Jamie Lange layup at the 6:01 mark pulled UPS even at 6-6, but their next field goal didn't drop in until the 1:42 mark.

Whitman's advantage continued to inch upward until a high-water mark of 32-18 with 5:33 to play in the second quarter.

Puget Sound reached down for some of their 2016-17 magic, though -- when they were the NWC regular season champs -- over those final five minutes to climb back to within six, 42-36, at the intermission.

Things changed quickly for the Loggers coming out of the break, however, as Sierra McGarity nailed a 3-pointer from the right elbow, then added a layup following a UPS miss. Another Logger miss turned into a Poe defensive rebound and eventual assist as Emily Rommel raced with her down court for a layup to push the lead up to 13 in less than three minutes of third-quarter action.

The quick start to the quarter seemed to take some wind out of the sails of the Loggers who began to give up easier shots and layups. By the end of the third the Blues led 64-50, a 14-point bulge that gained steam over the final 10 minutes.

The Blues finished with six players in double figures, led by Stone's 15 points. Mady Burdett and Maegen Martin chipped in with 12 each -- 10 of Martin's coming in the second half -- while Chambers finished with 11. Poe and Rommel ended their nights with 10 apiece.

Board work was integral in Whitman's dominant second half as a five-rebound edge (17-12) at the half evolved into a commanding 44-27 advantage at game's end. The Blues were so strong off their defensive glass that they allowed the Loggers just two offensive rebounds all night.

Poe and Rommel led the assault there, with seven rebounds each. Stone pulled down six, and in all nine players finished with at least one.

Friday's victory extended the Blues' win streak to 17 games. Their first and only loss so far came in the schedule's initial game, a non-conference matchup at Eastern Oregon University, NAIA Division II's seventh-ranked team in the latest poll.

Whitman will try to extend their string Saturday at Sherwood against visiting Pacific Lutheran University in a 4 p.m. NWC battle.