Box Score WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Sydney Abbott scored a team-high 14 points, Kaylie McCracken and Shaira Young each added 10 more, but it was a difficult night offensively for the Whitman College women's basketball team who fell to Whitworth, 61-58, in Northwest Conference action on Friday night at the Sherwood Center.

The Blues (5-3, 5-3 NWC) shot just 38% from the floor but managed to stay in the game with a strong defensive effort that forced Whitworth (3-3, 3-3 NWC) into 14 turnovers and only 34% shooting from the floor. Whitman finished plus-11 in bench scoring (17-6) but the Bucs pulled out the win after a game-high 15 points from Megan Dorny and a 14-point, 9-rebound performance from Quincy McDeid.

The Blues ran out to the early first-quarter lead after a 7-2 run to start the game. A straightaway three pointer from Taylor Chambers and an active Kaylie McCracken on the offensive glass keyed the strong start. The Bucs quickly worked themselves into the game with their own 8-2 run. Dorney kickstarted the run with an and-one three-point play and McDeid nailed a three pointer to put Whitworth up 13-11 with 3:41 to play, an advantage it would carry into the second quarter.

The Blues and Bucs continued to battle it out through another tight 10 minutes with Whitworth carrying a slim lead into halftime. Megan Taylor and Korin Baker kept the Blues close in the first half of the quarter as both hit from the floor to keep the deficit at two points with 5:16 to play. Shaira Young then made her presence known for the Blues late in the half. She converted an and-one three point play on a drive to the hoop, then hit a deep jumper to help the Blues keep the game close at the intermission.

Whitworth built a six-point lead early in the third quarter but the Blues quickly rallied to take the lead. Back-to-back layups from Chambers and Abbott, followed by a Shaira Young three pointer, put the Blues up 36-35 with 6:13 to play. Neither team could hit from the floor until Elena McHargue's three ball with 1:47 to play put her team up four points. McCracken hit from the floor late in the quarter and the Blues carried a 45-37 lead into the final period.

The Blues held the momentum but it were the Pirates who had the last say. Whitman didn't put its first points on the board until Baker's jumper with 6:22 to play, but that did little to slow down the Bucs who grabbed the lead back at 49-47 on a jumper from Keara Simpson with 2:16 to play. The Blues were just unable to find the basket late in the game as the Bucs held on for the narrow win. 

The Blues and Bucs close out their weekend series on Saturday. Tip time at the Sherwood Center is set for 3:30 p.m.