By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University women's basketball team returns to action with a trio of games this week. The Pirates host Walla Walla in their home opener on Thursday at 6:00 pm before heading to California to visit Caltech on Saturday (2:00 pm) and Whittier on Sunday (1:00 pm).
Check the Whitworth women's basketball schedule for live links to this week's games.
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. 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 (1-1) split a pair of games last week in Wheaton, Illinois as part of the Beth Baker Classic to open the 2024-25 season.
The Pirates took down North Park 77-66 for their first win of the season on Friday. Whitworth led for most of the game, but North Park stormed back to cut the lead to five with 3:33 left in the fourth quarter. The Pirates ended on a 13-7 run to put the game out of reach. Julianna Jeross and Addyson Gallatin put up 15 points off the bench to lead the team in scoring. Ashlyn Peterson finished the game with 13 points, eight assists and five steals. Whitworth shot 44.6% from the field.
On Saturday, the Pirates comeback fell short in a 75-69 loss to Wheaton. The two teams traded blows before the Thunder put the game out of reach with a three pointer and free-throws late in the fourth quarter. Mya Bair led the Pirates with 16 points on 6-7 shooting and eight rebounds. Ashlynn Peterson scored 13 points for the second straight game, while Julianna Jeross (11) and Ashlyn Neilsen (10) also finished in double figures. Whitworth made a season high 13 three-pointers while shooting 35.9% (23-64) from the field.
The Opponents: Walla Walla (2-2) comes to Spokane after an 80-66 win over Lewis & Clark on Saturday. Three of the Wolves' first four games have come against Northwest Conference opponents, with losses to both Linfield (80-45) and George Fox (71-50). They are led by forward Chariah Daniels and guard Jaylo Bello. Daniels averages 13 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while Bello is coming off a season-high 22 points against Lewis & Clark. The Wolves are coached by Tony Nakashima who is in his fourth season. Whitworth fell to Walla Walla 65-62 last season on November 16th, 2023.
Caltech started their season strong with three wins last week. The Beavers took down Bethesda 71-46, Ottawa (Ariz.) 66-65, and UC Santa Cruz 66-56. Through the first three games, Caltech has a 12.0-point scoring margin and is shooting 42.9% from the field. Senior Kathryn Edwards leads the Beaver's offense, averaging 19.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Kodie Vondra looks to challenge the Pirate guards after winning SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week and averaging 4.7 steals per game. Whitworth defeated Caltech 70-47 in their last meeting on December 19th, 2022.
Whittier also hosts the Pirates after a 3-0 start, defeating Westcliff 65-42, Bushnell 83-69, and UC Santa Cruz 63-56. The Poets have a matchup with Trinity (Texas) on Thursday before Whitworth visits on Sunday. Senior guard Rhe Nae Leach has filled up the stat sheet through three games, averaging 25.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and five assists per game. Senior Forward Lorita Salloom leads the team with 11.7 rebounds and is second on the team with 14.7 points per game. Whittier defeated Whitworth 61-53 in their last matchup on December 21st, 2022.
From Downtown: The Pirates have not been shy to put up shots from beyond the arc in their first two games of the season. The Bucs average 30.5 three-point attempts per game, tied for 14th in all of NCAA Division III. They are making these shots at a 32.8% clip and their ten three-point field goals made per game leads the NWC. Julianna Jeross leads Whitworth with three three-point field goals made per game, second in the NWC. Seven Pirate players have attempted at least five three-points shots through two games.
A Maestro: Pirate freshman Ashlyn Peterson has shown her ability to orchestrate the offense in her first two career games. Peterson's seven assists per game is fourth in NCAA Division III and leads the NWC. Along with her ability to distribute, she has taken care of the ball and boasts a NWC leading 2.8 assist/turnover ratio.
Efficiency: Whitworth's leading scorer Mya Bair has put up 13.5 points per game in an incredibly efficient fashion. She has made 73.3% (11-15) of her shots including four of five from three-point range. Her 73.3% field goal percentage is first in the NWC among players with at least 15 attempts.
The Coach: Kenny Love is in his third season as the Whitworth women's basketball coach. He moved over from the men's coaching staff in 2021 where he was an assistant coach since 2017. Love has a career head coaching record of 20-32 at Whitworth. Love himself is a former Pirate player who earned first team All-NWC recognition three times and was the 2015 NWC Player of the Year.
Looking ahead: Whitworth will host Mary Hardin-Baylor on December 13th before taking a second trip to California to play La Verne, Chapman, and California Lutheran on December 16-18.
