by Kelsey Segren, Sports Information Assistant

PORTLAND, Ore. – Sydney Abbott scored 24 points to lead the visiting Whitworth Pirates to a 60-57 victory over Lewis & Clark in Friday evening's Northwest Conference women's basketball contest.

The Pioneers (2-17, 1-10 NWC) trailed 57-46 with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and held Whitworth (11-9, 4-7) to three points through the rest of the period to stay in the game. Lewis & Clark was down three with eight seconds to go but missed the game-tying attempt.

Lewis & Clark led 12-11 after the first quarter and forced five Pirate turnovers. Both teams shot 35.7% (5-14) from the floor in the period.  

The Pioneers shot 1-11, including seven missed three-pointers, through the first six minutes of the second quarter. The Pirates went on a 11-3 run over that stretch for the 22-15 lead. Quincy McDeid scored seven points in the run. The Pioneers responded with an 8-0 run to take the 23-22 lead. Abbott made three free throws for the Bucs, before Coco Shafer's basket tied the game at 25-25 to close the first half.

Both teams struggled from beyond the arc in the opening half, with the Pirates making one of six attempts and the Pioneers shooting 5-18 from three-point range. McDeid led Whitworth with 11 points at the half.

A basket from Megan Dorney put the Pirates up 31-28 two minutes into the third. Neither team scored over the next 2:40 until Abbott made a pair of free throws. Shafer ended a four-minute Pio scoring drought with a layup to cut their deficit to three (33-30). The Pirates responded with a 7-2 run that included two layups from Abbott and a three-pointer from McDeid for the 40-32 advantage. Lewis & Clark got back within two after three free throws from Delsie Johnson to enter the fourth down 43-41.

After the Pioneers tied the game at 43-43, the Pirates went on a 7-0 run opened by a Talia Brandner jumper. Brandner's three gave the Bucs the 50-43 advantage two and a half minutes into the fourth. Abbott's three-point play followed by a jumper by Dorney gave Whitworth its first double-digit lead, 57-46, with 5:08 to go.

After two free throws from Jessica Cerne, Laurel Marchant scored the next six points for Lewis & Clark to cut the margin to four (57-53) with less than two minutes on the clock. Peyton Romo's three with 43 seconds left cut the Pirates' lead to 59-57. Lewis & Clark made the stop in Whitworth's next possession, but Brandner came up with a big defensive rebound, followed by making one of two free throws. Whitworth held on for the win after Romo missed the game-tying attempt from three.  

Abbott added seven rebounds and five assists to her game-high 24 points. The sophomore also made eight of nine free throws. McDeid finished with 16 points and five rebounds.

Whitworth shot 39.6% (31-53) from the floor, 20% (3-15) from three-point range and 71.4% (15-21) from the free throw line. Lewis & Clark made 29.5% (18-61) from the field, including 27.6% (8-29) from three and shot 72.2% (13-18) from the free throw line.

Johnson led the Pioneers in scoring, finishing with 13 points. Marchant tallied 10 points and Hannah Martin totaled a game-high 10 rebounds.

Whitworth takes on Willamette tomorrow at 4 p.m.