WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Oliva Mayer scored 21 points to lead Whitworth to an 81-66 victory over Walla Walla University in the final game of the Kim Evanger Raney Classic on Sunday afternoon at Whitman College.
The Pirates evened their record at 5-5 with their second win of the tournament. The Bucs are off until they play at NCAA DII Central Washington on Dec. 30th.
The Wolves (1-9) scored the first five points of the game. Whitworth responded with seven straight, including five by Kimberly Dewey. Walla Walla answered with a 6-0 run, capped by an Isabella Robles layin, to retake an 11-7 advantage. The Pirates then scored eight straight, including three-pointers by Quincy McDeid and Macey Morales, for a 15-11 lead. Whitworth never trailed again and led 18-15 after the opening quarter.
Leading 23-19 early in the second, the Pirates used an 8-0 run to take a double-digit lead on Mayer's three-pointer midway through the period. The Wolves pulled within 33-25 on Paulina Quintana's three-point play. McDeid responded with another three-pointer for the Bucs. Madison Hagen and Taylor Smith closed the half with treys to give Whitworth a 45-29 lead at the break.
The Pirates quickly pulled away in the third, opening a 50-29 margin on Dewey's three pointer one minute into the quarter. After Walla Walla pulled back within 50-36 with seven straight points, Whitworth put the game away. The Pirates opened their largest lead of the game at 69-45 on Mayer's basket. Whitworth led 70-49 after three quarters.
Walla Walla scored the first eight points of the final quarter, getting within 70-57 on two free throws from Robles. Megan Dorney converted a three-point play to stem the momentum and the Wolves never got closer. When Mayer scored again midway through the half, Whitworth had stretched the lead back to 20 points (77-57).
Mayer made 7-9 from the field, including both of her three-point attempts. She added six rebounds. Dewey finished with 13 points, while McDeid scored 11 and Dorney had nine. Whitworth made 28 of 52 shots (53.8%) from the field and a season-high 13-21 (62%) from three-point range. The Pirates finished with a 28-20 rebounding advantage.
Dorney and Dewey were named to the all-tournament team.
Carolina Montes-Estrada led Walla Walla with a game-high 28 points.
