WALLA WALLA, Wash.  As foes, conference and national, have queued up and taken their shot at seventh-ranked Whitman, the same constant has carried the Blues to a perfect 12-0 record against Division III:
The shot.

Whitman overcame foul trouble and a career-high scoring outburst by Lewis and Clark's Janessa Willie by making over 60 percent of its field goals in a 77-65 victory Saturday at Sherwood Athletic Center.

All-American senior Casey Poe played just 19 minutes because of fouls, but the Blues (12-1, 4-0 in Northwest Conference) kept on clicking. Taylor Chambers spelled Poe for vast stretches at the point and led four Whitman players in double-figure scoring with 12 points. Poe, Mady Burdett and Maegen Martin chipped in 10 points apiece for the Blues, who entered the game as the best shooting team in the NWC and, in-character, made 29 of 48 shots against the Pioneers.

"If we could quit turning it over so much, we'd be pretty impressive," Whitman head coach -- and noted perfectionist -- Michelle Ferenz said. "That has to get cleaned up.

"But 2-0 this weekend? I'll take it. We're really having to work through some things, and people forget how young we are. We're still maturing."

Whitman led by 19 points at halftime, by 15 after three and retained at least an 11-point lead throughout a ragged fourth quarter. Willie had 24 points for Lewis and Clark (7-6, 2-2), which forced 21 turnovers and scored 18 points at the free throw line to lurk on the margins.

The first half showcased so much of what is special about Whitman: its offensive efficiency (11 assists on 13 baskets, 54.2 percent field-goal shooting), its team defense (the Pioneers made just five baskets -- including only two over the final 15 minutes -- and shot 19.2 percent from the floor), its attention to detail (25 rebounds to Lewis and Clark's 12).

But the real star of the first 20 minutes was Whitman's depth. Poe, the best guard point guard in the NWC and a legitimate candidate for all the most prestigious national honors, picked up two personal fouls within the first two minutes, 31 seconds of the game and was on the bench for the remainder of the half.

Poe's second foul, a charging call that wiped a basket, returned possession to the Pioneers with a 7-0 lead.

The Blues proceeded to outscore Lewis and Clark 21-5 the rest of the quarter. Chambers showed that, more than being merely Poe's understudy and Whitman's point-guard-in-training, she is a savvy, versatile, dangerous look of her own. The 5-foot-5 guard from Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle replaced Poe and had two steals, hit two 3-pointers and assisted a 3 by McGarity during the Blues' first-quarter finishing kick. By halftime, Chambers had a team-high eight points.

When Chambers encountered foul trouble, earning her second whistle in the second quarter, the Blues thrived without a true point on the floor. Off-guards Mady Burdett (six points, three assists, three rebounds, one steal) and Kaelan Shamseldin (two assists, steal) kept the offense in system.

Whitman's post players, the best passing unit in the conference, combined for 21 first-half points.

"I want to applaud Taylor," said Ferenz. "She really stepped up. Kaelan and Mady also were really solid with Casey out. And Sierra (McGarity) brought us stability in the backcourt."

The Blues had assists on 21 of 29 baskets, paced by Burdett's five and three apiece from McGarity, Chambers and Emily Rommel.

Rommel had eight rebounds as Whitman controlled the glass 39-26.

The Blues host Whitworth at 6 p.m. Tuesday.