WALLA WALLA, Wash. -
Korin Baker led with game highs of 16 points and nine rebounds and the Whitman College women's basketball team played lockdown defense throughout, advancing to the championship game of the Northwest Conference Tournament with a 51-37 win over Willamette on Friday afternoon at the Sherwood Center.
The Blues (20-5) will now play the winner of Pacific and Puget Sound in the NWC title game with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Natalie Lundberg was a terror defensively, grabbing nine rebounds to go along with a game-high four steals. Carly Martin chipped in 14 points and Elena McHargue added 12 more.
Carolyn Ho led the Bearcats who close the season at 14-12. She dropped team highs of 13 points and six rebounds with Sami Riggs and Megan River both adding seven points.
Defense was on display for the Blues in the opening quarter as McHargue and Lundberg were a thorn in Willamette's side. Martin, meanwhile, hit a three pointer midway through the period to put Whitman up 9-4. Rivers responded, scoring at the hoop then hitting from distance to tie the game at 13-13. McHargue had the last say of the quarter, scoring to give the Blues a two-point lead after the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter continued to be tight but it were the Blues who extended their lead to five points at the break. It was the Korin Baker show for much of the period as she dominated the paint and maintained Whitman's lead. Emmie Ogden hit from the field inside of one minute to play and Whitman carried a 24-19 lead into halftime.
The Blues took control of the game in the third quarter. Martin, Baker and McHargue all hit from the floor early as the lead headed toward double digits. Riggs, though, hit a jumper to cut the lead to four points, but the Blues locked in and held the Bearcats to without a field goal in the final 4:57. Meanwhile, Whitman padded its lead which ballooned to 12 points by the end of the quarter.
The Blues couldn't quite shake Willamette in the final 10 minutes. Jasmine Shigeno and Ashley Ascuena-Mercil hit three pointers on consecutive possessions to whittle the Whitman lead to six points with 5:25 to play. Timely baskets and defensive energy brought the Blues to the finish line who finished in a flurry for the 14-point win.
Tipoff for the championship game is set for Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
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