By: Caden Frank
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's basketball wraps up the 2023-2024 season on the west side this weekend, seeking to finish the season on a high note. The Pirates play Pacific Lutheran at 6 p.m. on Friday and their season finale against Puget Sound at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Check the Whitworth athletics scheduling page for live links to all the weekend's action including links to streaming and statistics.
The Pirates: Whitworth (8-15 overall, 5-9 NWC) was excellent in its final two home games as they snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Linfield and George Fox, two teams who'd been trending upwards recently.
On Friday night, the Pirates earned a convincing 69-54 win over Linfield (their fourth straight against the Wildcats). Whitworth, led by freshman Zalissa Sanfo, dominated the boards all night grabbing 17 offensive rebounds which turned into 21 second chance points. Sanfo led the Pirates with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks (her seventh double-double of the season). Ashlynn Neilsen scored a career-high 13 points including 10 in the first half to help Whitworth to an early lead, Kimberly Dewey scored 13 as well, and Mya Edwards added 10. The Pirates, thanks to a solid shooting half, built a 37-28 halftime lead before going cold. Despite a drop in field goal percentage, Whitworth was excellent defensively and continued to scoop up missed shots, turning them into extra possessions as they held off Linfield who cut the lead down to two possessions multiple times. Leading just 53-47 with 7:20 to go, Whitworth outscored the 'Cats 16-7 in the final stretch. They finished with just eight turnovers in the game while forcing 17.
George Fox came into town on Saturday for Whitworth's senior night as the Pirates honored Dawson Driggs, Tara Kaneshiro, Alyssa Fitzgerald, and Kimberly Dewey. Yet, it was freshman Sanfo who stole the show again, racking up 19 points and a single-game record 21 rebounds (her third game with 20+ rebounds this season). Whitworth buried seven of its first 10 shots to take a 17-3 lead, but the Bruins chipped away at that lead quickly and took the lead in the final minute of the half. Fitzgerald got to the rim in with 34 seconds left, however, to give Whitworth a 30-29 halftime lead. The Pirates managed to stay in the drivers seat for the entire second half. The Bruins came within a point twice, but both times Neilsen came up with a score to keep the Pirates in front. In the fourth quarter Whitworth shot 2-9 from the field, but made 15 of 18 from the line to preserve the 66-62 win.
Whitworth shot a combined 35.9% this weekend, 23% from behind the arc, and 46-59 from the free throw line (the most free throws made and attempted in a two-game stretch this season). Sanfo recorded double-doubles in both games, continuing to build an impressive freshmen resume.
The Opponents: Pacific Lutheran (11-12, 3-11 NWC) heads into the final weekend coming off a win over Lewis & Clark to avoid falling to last place in the conference. The Pirates have won the last four against the Lutes.
PLU is last in the conference in scoring (54.7) and seventh in field goal percentage (36.4%) attempting just 53.3 field goals per game and 14 free throws per game (8th in the NWC), hitting just 66.4% from the line. The Lutes slow tempo has helped them defensively where they allow just 55.4 points per game (2nd in the NWC). They've given up 60+ points just eight times this season (they're 1-7 in those games). Sydney Reisner leads the Lutes with 11.6 points per game on 42% shooting, Tobin Brandie is 2nd in the NWC with 83 assists, and leads the team with 36 steals. In the first meeting, the Pirates held Reisner to two points on 1-8 shooting and Brandie was held to three points and one assist. PLU is coached by Lee Aduddell who's in her second season, she's 0-3 versus Whitworth.
Puget Sound (16-7, 10-4 NWC) has been on a tear since they stormed back to beat Whitworth in overtime on January 21. The Loggers came into that game 4-3 and in danger of falling out of the top four as Whitworth built two separate 15-point leads. Instead, the Pirates missed their last sixteen shots opening the door for a UPS rally, and the comeback win was the start of a six-game win streak for the Loggers which was finally snapped on Saturday with a 67-57 loss to Willamette.
The Loggers play fast. They lead the conference in scoring (66.5), 3-point field goals made and attempted (179-593), their second in shots attempted (67.8 per game). Defensively, the UPS press defense forces 21.7 turnovers per game to lead the league, and they are third in margin of victory (+9.5). Whitworth struggled to break that press down the stretch as they turned it over 22 times (14 in the second half). Puget Sound is led by two top-ten scorers; Kennedy Brown and Paige Gerhart average 13 and 12.6 points per game while shooting better than 30% from deep. Gerhart also leads the team with 74 assists and is second on the team with 62 steals. The Loggers are coached by Casey Kushiyama who's in his sixth season. They are the co-defending conference champions and have already clinched a birth in the NWC tournament but depending on how they fare this weekend they can seed anywhere from two to four.
Sanfo's Nomination: Sanfo was deservedly named the women's NWC athlete of the week. Last weekend she averaged 16.5 ppg on 41% shooting (10-13 free throws), 18.5 rebounds per game, and 4.5 blocks per game. Her record-breaking weekend helped the Pirates to two wins and gave her resume for NWC freshmen of the year a massive boost.
Pirates in the Leaderboards: Heading into the final weekend of the season, Sanfo leads the conference with 197 rebounds (60 more than second place), and 70 blocks (11th in the nation). Kimberly Dewey's 16.5 points per game put her in second, trailing Korin Baker with 16.9. Dewey's 363 points this season account for 26.8% of Whitworth's total scoring, it's the highest scoring output of her career.
Double-Doubles for days: Sanfo added two more double-doubles this weekend, she's got eight under her belt this season. Heading into the final weekend, Sanfo's posted 9.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3 blocks per game, 44.9% shooting, while starting all 23 games.
Finishing Strong: With a pair of wins this weekend, the Pirates would head into the offseason riding four straight conference wins, something Whitworth hasn't done since 2018.
The Coach: Kenny Love is in his second season as the Whitworth women's head coach. He moved over from the men's staff in 2021, and before that was involved in many of Whitworth's basketball operations including scouting, recruiting, budgeting, and youth camps. Love is a former Pirate who earned first team All-Conference honors three times and was also the 2015 Northwest Conference Player of the Year.
Looking ahead: Whitworth women will be back on the court in November 2024.
