SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University women's basketball team will split the week as the Pirates hit the home stretch of the 2022-23 season. Whitworth hosts Whitman in the second "Battle of Whits" on Tuesday night (6:00 pm), then travels to George Fox for a game on Friday night (6:00 pm). Tuesday's game will be televised regionally on SWX and both games 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 (8-13 overall, 5-7 NWC) split a pair of games for the fourth straight week, losing at Pacific (Ore.) before defeating Lewis & Clark.
The Pirates were tied early, but Pacific pulled away for a 72-49 win last Friday night in Forest Grove, Oregon. The Boxers' defense limited the Pirates to 27% (18 of 66) from the field in the game and forced 15 turnovers that led to 20 points off those turnovers. Olivia Mayer got another double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Quincy McDeid also scored 10 for the Bucs. Pacific won both match-ups against Whitworth this season.
The Pirates bounced back from Friday's disappointing performance with a strong effort in Saturday's 78-54 win at Lewis & Clark. Whitworth gained a measure of redemption from last month's double-overtime loss to the Pioneers after watching L&C rally from a 20 point deficit in the second half of that game. The Pirates shot 48% (30-62) from the field in Portland and held a 42-21 edge in rebounds. Mayer totaled 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Kimberly Dewey added 19 points and Devyn Cope scored a dozen.
Still in the Hunt: Whitworth is currently two games behind Willamette (12-9, 7-5) for the fourth and final spot in the upcoming Northwest Conference basketball tournament. The Pirates will likely have to win their final four games to have a shot at catching the Bearcats, because George Fox (9-12, 6-6) sits right above the Pirates in the standings. Whitworth will play both teams down the stretch: at George Fox on Friday and at home against Willamette in the regular season finale (Feb. 18).
The Opponents: Whitman (15-5 overall, 10-2 NWC) comes into Tuesday's game on a nine-game winning streak, including a victory over first place Puget Sound two weekends ago. Last weekend the Blues crushed L&C 65-38 then got their own redemptive win at Pacific (69-60). Michelle Ferenz, the winningest women's basketball coach in NWC history, is in her 22nd year at Whitman. The Blues are solid on both sides of the court, ranking second in the NWC in scoring average (64.4 ppg) and scoring defense (54.0 ppg). Junior forward Korin Baker continues an All-NWC kind of season with averages of 14.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard Elena McHargue adds 12.2 points and sparks the defense with 2.5 steals per game. Whitman defeated Whitworth 68-58 in Walla Walla on January 10th, thanks in part to 24 Pirate turnovers. Olivia Mayer had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucs, while Kimberly Dewey scored 14 points.
George Fox is 9-12 overall and 6-6 in the NWC heading into Friday night's game against Whitworth. The Bruins split a pair of games in Tacoma last weekend. They dispatched Pacific Lutheran 60-32 and had a halftime lead at first place Puget Sound before losing 61-51. Mike Coppolino is in his fourth season at George Fox. The Bruins put up 50.5 points per game and give up 57 points per contest. No individual averages double figures in scoring. Junior guard Erin Yoshitake is the leading scorer (9.3 ppg) and also leads the squad in three-pointers per game (2.1). Junior wing Jenna Lacey contributes 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Whitworth won the first meeting between the teams 57-45 in Spokane on January 14th after outscoring the Bruins 18-5 in the fourth quarter. Quincy McDeid scored 19 points, while Mayer finished with 12 points and 11 boards.
McDeid Gets It Done: Quincy McDeid has been a part of the Whitworth starting lineup since her first year. McDeid has started 75 of the 79 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 11.8 points per game. She has 934 points and has an outside 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 (17.7 ppg), leads the league in rebounding (11.6 rpg) and she ranks third in all of NCAA Div. III in double-doubles (17). Mayer is also third in the NWC in blocked shots (1.1 per game) and ninth in steals (1.7 per game). She has been selected as the NWC's student-athlete of the week in women's basketball three times this season.
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.
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.
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 close out the regular season at home against Linfield and Willamette on February 17-18.
