CLAREMONT, Calif. – Visiting Whitworth pulled out its first nail-biter of the season to overcome host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 58-53 in the finale of the David Wells Classic on Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates (3-3) won their third straight game and finished the tournament 2-0, along with fellow Northwest Conference member Willamette. Whitworth will open NWC play against the Bearcats on the road next Saturday.
The Athenas (2-4) made 57% (8-14) from the field in the first quarter, including two of three from three-point range. CMS jumped out ahead 11-5 on a layup by Kayla Ishibashi, but Whitworth answered with a 9-0 run which was capped by Megan Dorney's layup. The Athenas had an 18-17 lead after one period thanks to Ishibashi's buzzer-beating jumper.
The Pirates opened the second quarter with a 10-2 run, taking a 27-20 lead on Tara Kaneshiro's three-pointer. After CMS pulled within 27-25 on Sadie Heckman's three-pointer, Whitworth scored the final five points of the period. A Macey Morales three-pointer gave the Pirates a 32-25 lead at halftime.
Megan Dorney scored the first basket of the second half to give Whitworth its largest lead of the game. But the Pirates went cold for the rest of the period, making only 23% (3-13) from the field. The Athenas chipped away and eventually took a 41-39 on Ishibiashi's three-pointer at the end of the third quarter.
Quincy McDeid scored the first five points of the final period to give Whitworth a 44-43 lead. Megan Dorney followed with a short jumper and the Pirates never trailed again. Olivia Mayer's basket extended the lead to 52-47 before CMS got within 53-51 on Austyn Masuno's basket with just under a minute to play. Devin Cope scored at the end of Whitworth's next possession and the Pirates followed with a key defensive stop. Talia Brandner sealed the win with a pair of free throws with five seconds left.
Dorney led Whitworth in points (12) and rebounds (6) for the second straight game. McDeid added 10 points while Mayer scored nine off the bench. Morales dished six of the Pirates' 15 assists. Whitworth made 36% (21-58) from the field, 33.3% (5-15) from three-point range. But the Bucs went 11-13 (84.6%) from the free throw line.
Masuno scored 14 and Ishibashi had 11 for the Athenas. Ishibashi led CMS with seven boards. However, the Athenas finished in a 40-32 rebounding deficit. CMS cooled off after the hot first quarter and finished the game 21-53 (39.6%) from the field, 30.8% (4-13) from beyond the arc.
