TACOMA, Wash. -
Elena McHargue scored a game and career-high 19 points,
Sydney Abbott was one board away from a double double with 16 points and nine rebounds and the No. 14 Whitman College women's basketball team dominated Pacific Lutheran 80-47 in the Northwest Conference opener for both teams on Friday night at Olson Auditorium.
McHargue and Abbott led a trio of Whitman players in double figures which included Korin Baker's 10 points. Abbott also chipped in a game-high six assists for the Blues (6-1, 1-0 NWC) who scored 20 points off 15 Lute turnovers.
Ava Edmonds led PLU (0-5, 0-1 NWC) with 11 points and Stacie Spahr grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Whitman built a sizable lead in the first quarter after an 11-0 run put the Blues up by double digits. A pair of buckets from Baker and a three pointer from Abbott highlighted the run as Whitman took a 17-6 lead with 2:58 to play. The Lutes came roaring back, however, and responded with nine unanswered points to shave the lead to two.
The game was all Whitman from there. A 9-0 run capped by an Abbott three pointer extended the lead to 10 points in the second quarter. With 2:29 to play until halftime, Carly Martin nailed a three pointer to put Whitman up 33-21. Kalia Coverson converted late in the half and the Blues took a 15-point lead into the break.
The Blues broke the game open with a dominant third quarter. Off a dish from McHargue, Lindsay Drango got to the hoop and put her team up by 18 points midway through the period. Sydney Reisner's bucket for PLU whittled the Whitman lead to 12 points but, after back-to-back three pointers from Martin and McHargue, the Blues extended to their largest lead of 22 points.
Whitman closed the door with a 24-point fourth quarter.
The Blues will look to keep it rolling when they square off against Puget Sound on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 4:00 p.m.
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