MCMINNVILLE, Ore. -
Elena McHargue led four Blues in double figures with a game-high 17 points, and the Whitman College women's basketball team locked in defensively for a 64-42 win over Linfield in Northwest Conference action on Friday night.
The victory came on a night when the Blues (10-5, 5-2 NWC) recorded a season-high 22 steals. Natalie Lundberg led the heist off the bench with a game-high eight thefts and McHargue added six more to her solid statline. Korin Baker delivered a solid performance of her own, chipping in 15 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Jordan Worthington led the Wildcats with 11 points and six rebounds. As a team, though, Linfield shot only 18% in three pointers and 36% from the floor overall.
Whitman set the stage for the dominant win after giving itself a 12-point cushion after one quarter. The Blues led by only two points midway through the period, but closed the final 5:52 with 10 unanswered points. McHargue scored eight in the run, kicking it off with a three pointer and ending with a basket with 25 seconds to play.
Both teams struggled to score in the second quarter, but the Blues all but sealed the win after halftime. Early in the third, Lundberg forced Worthington into a turnover, then found McHargue on the break who scored to put Whitman up 31-15. Carly Martin later nailed a three pointer and Baker scored in back-to-back possessions as the Blues opened up a 21-point lead with 5:49 to play. Late in the quarter, Lundberg scored to give Whitman its largest lead of 27 points, making the fourth quarter a formality.
Whitman is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Willamette. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m.
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