SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University women's basketball team has a split schedule this week. The Pirates play at defending NWC champion Whitman College on Tuesday night (6:00 pm) and host George Fox University on Saturday (4:00 pm). Both can be heard live on KSBN radio (1230 am) as part of women's-men's doubleheaders.
Check the Whitworth women's basketball schedule for live links to this weekend's action.
Tickets: Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Fieldhouse for all fans. Tickets can be purchased in advance using the Hometown Ticketing App. Follow the Tickets link on the schedule for access. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Whitworth students, as well as faculty and staff, get free admission by using an ID number.
The Pirates: Whitworth (4-9 overall, 1-3 NWC) lost a pair of hard-fought conference games against Lewis & Clark and Pacific last weekend in the Fieldhouse.
The Pirates played very well in the first half of Friday's game against Lewis & Clark, opening a 44-26 lead at halftime. The Pioneers rallied to force the game into overtime and the visitors eventually won 93-90 in double overtime, thanks to a school-record 38 points by Karli Mukai. After making 6 of 8 three pointers in the first quarter, Whitworth hit only 4 of 22 the rest of the way, including 0-9 in the third and fourth periods. Three Pirates had double-doubles in the game. Kimberly Dewey (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Quincy McDeid (12 points, 12 rebounds) posted their first of the season. Olivia Mayer had her tenth double-double with 20 points and 11 boards.
Whitworth started slow on Saturday, scoring only 13 first half points in a 53-43 loss to first place Pacific (Ore.). The Pirates outscored the Boxers 30-27 in the second half, but could not overcome a 13-point halftime deficit. Whitworth turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 25 points off turnovers for Pacific. Mayer came through with another double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. McDeid scored 11 points and dished three assists.
The Opponents: Whitman is 7-5 overall and 2-2 in the NWC heading into Tuesday's game. The Blues split last weekend, losing 58-53 to Pacific before rolling past Lewis & Clark 73-44. Four players average in double figures for Whitman, led by junior forward Korin Baker, who puts up 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Elena McHargue adds 11.5 points per game and leads the team in assists (3.1 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). Michelle Ferenz is in her 22nd year as head coach of the Blues and is the winningest coach in NWC history with 373 victories. Whitman swept Whitworth last season, winning 76-59 in Spokane and 69-63 in Walla Walla.
George Fox is 5-8 overall and 2-2 in the NWC heading into a game at Whitman on Friday night. The Bruins lost to Puget Sound (72-43) last Friday before defeating Pacific Lutheran (52-41) on Saturday, both at home. Mike Coppolino is in his fourth season as head coach at George Fox. The Bruins have battled injuries this season and only two players have started all 13 games. One is junior guard Ella Roberts, who leads the team in scoring (7.8 ppg). The other is junior wing Jenna Lacey, who averages 6.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The Bruins and Pirates split last season, each winning on the other's home floor. Whitworth won 72-62 in Newberg, Oregon, while George Fox won 57-53 in Spokane.
Pirates picked 6th in 2022-23: Whitworth was sixth in the NWC's preseason coaches poll with 27 points. The Pirates are coming off a seventh place finish in 2021-22 after finishing 10-15 overall and 5-11 in the NWC. Puget Sound (61 points, 5 first place votes) edged Whitman (58 points, 4 first place votes) for first place in the poll.
McDeid Gets It Done: Quincy McDeid has been a part of the Whitworth starting lineup since her first year. McDeid has started 67 of the 71 games over her four seasons and has never missed a contest in that time. McDeid has averaged double figures in scoring, with a career scoring average of 12.2 points per game. She has 863 points and has a chance to become the 14th player in Pirate women's basketball history to surpass 1,000 career points.
Mayer Makes it Happen: Olivia Mayer is already off to a better start then her phenomenal first season at Whitworth. She leads the Northwest Conference in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (12.5 rpg) and she leads all of NCAA Div. III in double-doubles (11, tied with two others). She has made 54-62 (87.1%) from the free throw line. Mayer is also second in the NWC in blocked shots (1.6 per game) and fifth in steals (1.8 per game).
Last season Mayer averaged 11.8 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. She led the team in steals (32). In just Northwest Conference games only, her stats were even better with averages 13.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game against NWC opponents. She claimed honorable mention All-NWC recognition.
Don't Foul 'Em: Whitworth leads the Northwest Conference and ranks 23rd in all of NCAA DIII in team free throw percentage (73.9%).
On the Air Again: Many of Whitworth's games are once again carried live this season on KSBN 1230am in Spokane. The broadcast schedule includes non-conference games against Walla Walla and California Lutheran and all Northwest Conference contests. The relationship between Pirate athletics and KSBN goes back to 1994, a span of more than 25 years. Bud Nameck is in his eighth season as the voice of Whitworth basketball. Nameck has more than 30 years of experience calling college basketball at Gonzaga University and Washington State.
The Coach: Kenny Love is in his first season guiding the Pirate women. He moved over from the men's coaching staff, where he was an assistant coach since 2017 and was involved in all aspects of the men's team operation, including scouting, recruiting, budget management, conditioning and summer camp organization. Love is a former Pirate player who claimed first team All-NWC recognition three times and was the 2015 NWC Player of the Year.
Looking Ahead: Whitworth will play at Willamette and Linfield on January 20th and 21st to close out the first half of Northwest Conference competition.
