PORTLAND, Ore. -
Christiane Carlisle led all scorers with 19 points on a sizzling 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc, guiding the No. 5 Whitman College women's basketball team to at least a share of the Northwest Conference regular season crown with a 69-40 win at Lewis & Clark on Saturday night.
The win puts the Blues (20-1, 12-0 NWC) a full four games ahead of Linfield and George Fox with four games to play. Whitman plays both teams in the final two weeks of the regular season which will go a long way to determining the host site of the NWC Tournament.
The Blues simply outshot the Pioneers while also forcing them into 22 turnovers. Korin Baker and Carly Martin scored 18 and 15 points, respectively, and Baker, along with Lindsay Drango, added seven rebounds. Natalie Lundberg recorded four steals and handed out seven assists, both game highs.
Whitman dominated a low-scoring first quarter which saw LC only score four points. It wasn't until the second period, however, that the Blues really took flight. Holly Morgan opened the scoring with a three pointer, then Baker completed a three-point play the old fashioned way to put Whitman up 19-4. Carlisle then began to heat up, draining back-to-back three pointers to balloon the lead to 21 points with 2:33 to play until halftime.
The Pioneers won the third quarter but it did little to change the inevitable outcome of the game. Whitman opened the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run which was capped by a Martin three pointer, and the Blues coasted from there.
The Blues now enter their final stretch of the season beginning with three straight home games. First up is the aforementioned George Fox Bruins on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8:00 p.m.
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