By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University Bearcats will begin the 2023-24 Northwest Conference women's basketball season with a pair of road games this weekend. The Bearcats will take on Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, on Friday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. PST. Willamette will complete the road trip by battling Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. PST. 

The Bearcats enter the weekend with a 2-4 overall record. Whitworth is 1-3 on the season and Whitman is 4-0 and ranked #17 in the D3hoops.com Women's Top 25 Poll. Whitman will play Pacific University on Friday.

Elyse Waldal (Jr., Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak HS/Linfield University) leads the Bearcats with 11.2 points per game, while Kaitlin Imai (So., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS) has provided 10.8 points per game. Waldal ranks first on the team with 43.5% accuracy from 3-point range (10 for 23). She is tied with Imai and Emma Floyd (So., F, Camano Island, WA/Stanwood HS) for the team lead with 10 successful 3-point shots.

Carolyn Ho (Sr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) has contributed 9.7 points per game. She moved past the 500-point mark ealier this season and has now scored 548 career points.

Ava Kitchin (Sr., P, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) is next on this year's scoring chart with 7.3 points per contest and ranks first on the squad with 7.2 rebounds per game. Danielle Morgan (Sr., F, Lompoc, CA/Lompoc HS/California Lutheran Univ.) has added 6.3 rebounds per game. The Bearcats have averaged 37.5 rebounds and own a rebounding margin of +2.6 boards per contest.

Willamette Head Women's Basketball Coach Peg Swadener is in her 12th season with the Bearcats. She has guided Willamette to two NWC Tournament berths, including 2017-18 when the Bearcats reached the NWC Championship game.

Whitworth's top scorer is Kimberly Dewey with 16.0 points per game. She is shooting just 30.9% from the field but has connected on 23 of 25 free throws for 92.9% at the line. Dewey ranks second for the Pirates with 7.3 rebounds per contest. Zalissa Sanfo is the Pirates' leading rebounder with 8.8 boards per night.

Cheyenne Rodgers tails only Dewey on the Whitworth scoring chart. Rodgers has produced 8.0 points per game. Alyssa Fitzgerald is averaging 7.5 points per game.

Korin Baker of Whitman has averaged 17.5 points per game to lead the Blues. She is shooting 48.1% from the field (26 of 54). Baker also holds the team lead with 7.3 rebounds per game.

Carly Martin is the Blues' second-highest scorer with 15.0 points per contest, and ranks first on the squad with 11 three-point baskets. Natalie Lundberg trails only Baker on the glass, as she has hauled down 6.8 rebounds per game.

Willamette will return to Cone Field House to play non-conference opponent Oregon Institute of Technology on Friday, Dec. 8. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. PST.