Whitman Whitm 13-6,8-2 NWC

Pacific (OR) Pac 8-12,3-8 NWC

Whitman Whitm

13-6,8-2 NWC

Final

Jan. 31, 2026

Pacific (OR) Pac

8-12,3-8 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Whitman Whitm	17	13	16	20	66
Pacific (OR) Pac	10	21	17	14	62

Summary
Box Score

Alan Hoffmeister

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 1/31/2026 6:09:00 PM

Women's Basketball Edges Pacific 66-62

FOREST GROVE, Ore. - Whitman College women's basketball survived a bruising, back-and-forth afternoon at the Stoller Center, edging Pacific 66–62 in a Northwest Conference showdown on Saturday. Behind a career afternoon from sophomore guard Holly Morgan and a series of late-game winning plays on both ends, the Blues erased a four-point deficit in the final minutes to stay near the top of the league standings.

Morgan was the engine from the opening tip, pouring in a game- and career-high 20 points on 7-for-20 shooting, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while adding a team-best six rebounds and a game-high three blocks in 36 minutes. She scored nine of her points after halftime and calmly knocked down two free throws with eight seconds left to push Whitman's lead to 64–61, giving the visitors just enough breathing room to finish the job.

Whitman opened the afternoon with poise, racing to a 17–10 lead after the first quarter behind Morgan's eight early points and a balanced inside attack from Emma Lena Baker and Jordan Leith. The Blues turned Pacific over six times in the opening frame and converted those miscues into 10 points, using a 10–0 run to flip an early 8–3 deficit into a 13–8 cushion.

Pacific punched back hard in the second quarter, riding a dominant stretch from guard Shaade Williams and forward Sydney Esperanza to outscore Whitman 21–13 and seize a 31–30 halftime edge. Williams tallied 11 of her 15 points before the break, repeatedly attacking the lane, while Esperanza controlled the glass on her way to a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.

The third quarter became a test of composure. Whitman briefly pushed in front 40–35 on a Morgan layup and a Leith drive, only to see Pacific answer with a 13–6 surge capped by Esperanza's transition layup in the final seconds, sending the Blues to the fourth trailing 48–46.

Whitman then leaned on its veterans and its defense. Morgan drilled a right-wing three with 8:06 remaining to put the Blues back on top 49–48, then later added two free throws in the final seconds that all but sealed the result. Leith authored several of the game's biggest plays, knocking down a midrange jumper off a turnover to trim the deficit to 56–55 with 4:17 left and, after Pacific had closed within one at 61–62, calmly sinking four free throws in the last nine seconds to finish with 10 points.

Montgomery delivered what proved to be the decisive field goal, stepping into a three from the top of the arc with 58 seconds to play to push Whitman's lead to 60–56.

For Pacific, Esperanza and Williams shared team-high honors with 15 points apiece, and forward Karina Franco and guard Ava Cook added six each.

Next up for Whitman is a visit to Whitworth this Tuesday for the second and final regular season installment of the Battle of the Whits. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

#GoWhitman

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