By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University led #24 Whitman College at halftime and trailed by just two points with 3:16 to play, before the Missionaries went on a 12-3 run to defeat the Bearcats, 63-52, at Cone Field House on Saturday, Jan. 16.
The Bearcats pulled within 51-49 on a layup by Alex Wert (Jr., F, Spokane, WA/St. George's HS), but a 3-pointer by Alysse Ketner with 2:54 left -- Whitman's only 3-point basket of the game -- started the Missionaries on their game-winning run.
Whitman, ranked #24 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, improved its record to 12-2 overall and to 5-1 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette fell to 10-5 on the season, 2-4 in the NWC.
Leading the Missionaries in scoring were Hailey Ann Maeda and Emily Rommel with 12 points each. Maede led all players with 10 rebounds. Ketner supplied an additional 11 points and eight rebounds for Whitman.
Madi Andresen (So., F, Forest Grove, OR/Forest Grove HS) scored 13 points for Willamette on 6-of-6 shooting and 1 for 1 at the free throw line -- all in the first half. Andresen has made 13 consecutive field goal attempts, including her final two shots against Linfield College on Jan. 9 and a 5-for-5 performance against Whitworth University on Friday (Jan. 15).
Wert added 12 points and five rebounds, while Marisa Hamilton (Jr./So., F, Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) scored 10 points to go with five boards and five assists.
The Missionaries scored the game's first six points and held a 10-3 lead with 5:55 left in the first quarter following a a layup by Ketner. Willamette battled back with the next four points on a layup by Whitney Anderson (So., G, Willamina, OR/Willamina HS) and two free throws by Wert.
Whitman ended the quarter with an 8-4 run to take an 18-11 advantage. The Bearcats answered with six straight points to begin the second quarter, as Willamette pulled within 18-17. Andresen opened the run with a layup at the 9:49 mark and completed the run with another layup as the clock hit 8:04.
A few mintues later, Willamette tied the game at 26-26 when Andresen hit a layup and a foul shot with 4:23 remaining. The Bearcats took their first lead at 30-28 when Hamilton sank a pair of free throws with 3:39 to go.
After Whitman tied the game on a jumper by Rommel, Willamette regained the lead on a 3-point shot by Kali Vickery (Fr., G, Glide, OR/Glide HS) with 2:14 left. Andresen added a jumper 36 seconds later for a 35-30 lead, which the Bearcats held until halftime.
In the third quarter, Whitman outscored Willamette 16-9. The Missionaries cut the lead to 38-37 on two free throws by Maeda with 6:19 on the clock. Willamette scored next basket on a layup by Wert. Whitman eventually claimed a 43-42 advantage with 1:21 left in the third quarter following a 4-0 run.
The Missionaries ended the period with a 46-44 lead after Casey Poe scored three points in the closing seconds. Poe hit 1 of 2 free throws with two seconds remaining. After Willamette rebounded the second free throw, Poe stole a pass under the basket and hit a layup as time expired.
A three-point play by Hamilton on a jumper and a layup with 8:16 left in the game, brought Willamette within a single point at 48-47. Rommel tacked on a layup for Whitman at the 7:40 mark.
Both teams went scoreless for four minutes until Sierra McGarity made the second of two free throws to give Whitman a 51-47 lead with 3:40 to play.
Wert reduced the margin to two points on her layup with 3:16 left, and Whitman's closing run followed. The Missoinaries led 59-49 with 50 seconds remaining.
Whitman forced Willamette into 21 turnovers. The Missionaries also held a 34-28 rebounding margin, which included 16 offensive boards. Willamette hit 43.9% on field goals (18 of 41) and Whitman shot 40.7% (24 of 59) from the field.
The Bearcats made just 3 of 10 three-pointers, but hit 13 of 14 free throws (92.9%). The Missionaries went 1 for 6 from behind the arc and sank 14 of 20 free throw attempts (70.0%).
Willamette will host another nationally ranked team on Tuesday, Jan. 19, when George Fox University arrives at Cone Field House. GFU is ranked #2 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and is #3 in the D3hoops.com Top 25. Game time is set for 6 p.m. (PST).
