by Kelsey Segren, Sports Information Assistant 

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Courtney Gray scored a career-high 17 points to lead Whitworth to a 67-62 win over Pacific Lutheran in Friday evening's Northwest Conference women's basketball contest. 

Whitworth (8-2, 1-0 NWC) opens NWC play with a win, despite struggling from the free throw line, making 17 of 35 on the game. The Pirates extend their winning streak to five consecutive games. Pacific Lutheran drops to 5-5 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

Gray grabbed five rebounds in addition to her 17 points, shooting 8-10 from the floor. Sydney Abbott tallied 14 points and five rebounds. Talia Brandner added nine points off the bench, all in the fourth quarter.  

The Bucs got out to a 7-2 lead after a pair of layups from Gray and a three-pointer from Jordan Smith. Gray scored 12 points in the first quarter and Smith tallied eight to combine for 20 of the Bucs' 22 first quarter points. The Bucs entered the second with a 22-8 lead.  

Whitworth extended its lead to as many as 17 in the second quarter, leading 28-11 with 07:58 remaining in the half. The Lutes pulled back within 10 (32-22) after Toni Thibert made a basket with just over three minutes before the break. The Pirates shot 3-15 from the free throw line in the first half. 

Pacific Lutheran outscored Whitworth 18-10 in the third, led by Thibert's eight points. Thibert made the Lutes' first three-pointer of the game to tie the score at 44-44 with a minute remaining in the quarter. PLU had missed their previous 13 attempts from beyond the arc. Quincy McDeid made a pair of free throws to take the 46-44 lead into the fourth. The Bucs shot 27.3% (3-11) in the quarter.  

The Lutes tied the game at 56-56 with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. Brandner scored five points in less than a minute as the Pirates led 61-58 with just under four minutes left. The Lutes pulled back within one after a layup from Kylie Rademacher before McDeid made two more free throws to take the 63-60 lead with 02:37 remaining. 

Emma Janousek made a layup for Pacific Lutheran to pull back within two (64-62) with 40 seconds on the clock. On the next possession, McDeid grabbed an offensive rebound and put in a layup to extend the Pirates' lead to 66-62 with 19 seconds left. The Bucs made the stop in the Lutes' final possession to hold on to the victory.  

Whitworth shot 47.9% (23-48) from the floor and 28.6% (4-14) from three-point range. The Bucs were outrebounded 40-27 but forced 26 PLU turnovers.  

Pacific Lutheran shot 42.1% (24-57) from the floor and 10.5% (2-19) from beyond the arc on the game. Janousek led PLU with 14 points. Megan Drake scored 13 points and Thibert added 12 to give the Lutes three-double digit scorers.  

Up next, Whitworth takes on Puget Sound tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the Fieldhouse.