PORTLAND, Ore.—Evan Richards scored 19 to lead Lewis & Clark past visiting Whitworth 55-50  in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Friday night.

The Pioneers (9-7 overall, 4-3 NWC) rallied from a nine-point deficit when the Pirates (6-10, 1-6) went nearly ten minutes without scoring in the third and fourth quarters.

Whitworth scored the first basket of the game, a Kimberly Dewey three-pointer. Jessica Cerne rallied to give Lewis & Clark an 8-7 lead over the Pirates. Dewey's free throws tied the game at twelve, before Piper Curry made two free throws to regain the lead. Quincy McDeid made two free throws to end the quarter tied at 14. Six of those Whitworth points came from free throws.

Two back-to-back Olivia Mayer layups gave the Pirates an early 19-16 lead in the second quarter. Genevieve Symons, Madison Hagen, and Mayer led Whitworth on an eight-point run to take a  25-16 lead. Mayer hit a last-second layup to send the Pirates into halftime leading 29-22.

Delsie Johnson and Karli Mukai helped the Pioneers narrow the gap on a seven-point run, resulting in a 34-32 score. A Gabby Beltran layup tied the score at 38 before Mayer scored and Dawson Driggs hit two free throws for Whitworth with 51 seconds left for a 42-39 Pirate lead.

Mukai opened the final quarter with a three-pointer to tie the game at 42. Neither team scored again until four minutes later when back-to-back Eva Richards layups gave Lewis & Clark a 46-42 lead. Outscored 12-0 to start the fourth, Mayer broke the drought with a layup with 2:38 to play to get the Bucs within 51-44.  Hagen followed with a three-pointer and the Pirates got within 51-50 when Mayer converted a three-point play. Whitworth made two defensive stops in the final minute, but gave the ball away each time, the final turnover leading to a breakaway layup.  Tara Kaneshiro's desperation three-point attempt from half court was followed by two more L&C free throws.

Mayer recorded another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, her third of the season for the Pirates.  Hagen added ten points, the only other Whitworth player in double figures. 

Eva Richards had 19 points and Johnson had 14 rebounds for the Pioneers in the victory.

Whitworth shot 28.1% from the field and 17.4% from three in the game compared to Lewis and Clark's slightly better 38.2% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. The Pioneers had 16 points off of 17 Pirate turnovers.

Whitworth will travel to face George Fox in Newberg, Oregon on Saturday, Jan. 22.