Box Score WALLA WALLA, Wash. – All-American guard Heather Johns scored 26 points to lead Whitman to a 70-43 win over 17th-ranked Whitworth on Tuesday night at the Sherwood Center.
The visiting Pirates could get nothing going against a strong Whitman defense. They went 0-15 from three-point range and fell to 18-2 overall and 9-2 in the NWC. The Missionaries improved to 13-8, 8-3.
Even while taking an early 6-4 lead the Pirates were struggling to make shots, hitting only one of their first six attempts from the field and four free throws. But that was when Whitman began to take control, using a 14-0 run to grab an 18-6 lead. Johns scored the first six points of that run. Whitworth was able to pull back within 25-20 on a basket by Jessica Kramer late in the half and went into the halftime trailing 28-20. The Pirates made only 21% (6-28) of their shots from the field, 0-8 from three-point range.
Whitman broke the game wide open in the first six minutes of the second half, opening with a 13-2 run to take a 41-22 lead. Johns scored three straight baskets on that run as well. The Missionaries eventually led by as many as 30 points when Johns sank two free throws for a 63-33 lead with just over six minutes to go in the game.
Whitworth improved its shooting slightly in the second half, but finished with a percentage of 24.6% (14-57), tying the season low set in a loss at George Fox. No Whitworth player reached double figures in scoring. Kramer scored nine points and KC McConnell had eight points and ten rebounds.
Johns made 9-15 shots from the floor and 8-9 from the free throw line for her 26 points. She added 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Hailey Ann Maeda scored 13 points for Whitman, while Emily Rommel grabbed 10 rebounds as the Missionaries finished with a 52-32 edge on the boards.
Whitman finished the game making 45.3% of its shots from the field.
Whitworth will try to bounce back when the Pirates visit Linfield College on Saturday (4:00 pm).
