Salem, Ore. - Thanks to 14 points from Maya Sanders and Kaitlin Imai, and 10 from Gio Horner, Willamette defeated Whitworth University 67-57 in a Northwest Conference matchup at Cone Fieldhouse. A balanced attack and strong defense helped the Bearcats avenge an earlier loss to the Pirates.
In the first quarter, the Bearcats outscored the Pirates 19-11, highlighted by a significant scoring run in the latter part of the quarter. Whitworth scored the opening basket of the game and jumped out to an early 9-4 lead, but a layup by Addie Hiler and consecutive baskets by Imai put Willamette ahead 10-9 with just over three minutes to play in the quarter. Five straight points by Sanders and two lay-ups by Peyton Gardner capped a 15-2 run by the Bearcats to take the eight-point lead after the opening ten minutes.
Whitworth again scored the opening basket of the quarter but two free throws by Gio Horner and one by Emma Floyd pushed the Bearcat lead to 22-13. The Pirates fought back and cut the lead to five at 26-21 on a layup by Ashlyn Peterson, but a late layup by Horner sent Willamette to the halftime locker room with a 28-21 lead.
The Pirates struck quickly to start the third and cut the Willamette lead to two at 30-28 after a made three-pointer by Alex Goetz. The Bearcats responded with three consecutive points by Daisy Boling-Schmidt, but another Goetz three tied the score at 33-33 midway through the quarter. Whitworth took their first lead since the score was 9-8, but two Imai foul shots and an Elyse Waldal layup put the Bearcats back in front at 37-34. Willamette ended the quarter with eight straight points to take a 51-40 lead after three quarters of play.
Whitworth again started a quarter strong and cut the lead to five with six straight points. The Pirates continued to battle, but the Bearcats remained calm and made the plays they needed to hold their lead. Two baskets by Sanders sandwiched around a made jumper by Waldal pushed the Bearcat lead back out to eleven with just over four minutes left. Whitworth pulled back as close as seven points, but a layup by Boling-Schmidt followed by a steal and layup by Horner sealed the victory for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats finish up their four-game homestand when they host Linfield University on Friday, February 15th. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm.
Willamette Top Performers
14 points
5/5 baskets made
2 assists
14 points
3 rebounds
10 points
3 steals
5 rebounds
