SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's basketball will play its final home doubleheader of the season this weekend as they take on Linfield and George Fox, seeking to snap a five-game losing streak. The Pirates play Linfield on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and George Fox on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

Check the Whitworth athletics scheduling page for live links to all the weekend's action including links to streaming and statistics.

The Pirates: Whitworth (6-15 overall, 3-9 NWC) dropped both games last week to extend its losing streak to five games. The skid has plummeted the Pirates from a game out of the conference tournament to a game away from last place.

The Pirates began their week on Tuesday at Whitman, which ended in a 59-46 loss. Whitman's Korin Baker (the conference scoring leader) scored 31 points and added 11 rebounds to overwhelm the Pirates. Whitworth hung around for much of the night, using a 7-0 run to take a 28-27 lead early in the third quarter. Cheyenne Rodgers hit back-to-back threes to keep Whitworth within striking distance in the fourth (45-40), but Baker capped a Blues run which put the game out of reach. Whitworth shot 16-54 (29.5%) and had 20 turnovers, but Emma Maxwell backed up her 17-point explosion at Willamette with 12 points to lead the team.

On Saturday night Whitworth lost in devastating fashion to Lewis & Clark who, for the second straight season, came away with an overtime win in the Fieldhouse. It was Karli Mukai who delivered the dagger, hitting an overtime buzzer beater to cap and 11-3 run to give the Pioneers a 90-89 win. The Pirates experienced highs and lows throughout the night, erasing an early ten point deficit with a 31-12 run, before seeing their own 86-79 overtime lead evaporate. Whitworth shot 43.5% from the field (38% from three) while committing only eight turnovers. Kimberly Dewey put up 27 points, Zalissa Sanfo added 22 points and 11 rebounds (her second double-double this season against L&C). However, the Pirates couldn't overcome a L&C's 62.5% three-point percentage, including four threes in overtime as the Pioneers rallied for the surprising win.

Whitworth is shooting 33.5% this season (ninth in the NWC) while allowing 38.7% to opponents. The Pirates are scoring 58 points per game and allowing 65.7. Dewey leads the team with 16.8 points per game (second in the conference behind Baker who's scoring 16.9 per game), Sanfo is averaging 8.9 per game while leading the conference in rebounds (10.0) and blocks (2.9). Maxwell is beginning to become a big piece of the offense, she's led the team in scoring two of the last three games averaging 15.3 in that span.

The Opponents: Linfield (11-10 overall, 6-6 NWC) is fifth in the conference heading into the week, two games back from fourth-place Whitman. However, the Wildcats are coming off their biggest win of the season after toppling first-place Willamette 78-71 on Saturday.

Linfield has been a bit of a wildcard this season as they've beat Willamette and Whitman (first and fourth in the league) but lost to last place Pacific Lutheran and were blown out by Pacific and Puget Sound. Whitworth beat Linfield 61-57 in the first meeting between the two. The 'Cats are scoring 60.3 points per game and allowing 61.5 (both fifth in the NWC). They've shot 39.1% from the field (third-highest in the conference) however most of their production comes inside the paint. They rank near the bottom in three-point percentage (25%), and total three-pointers (105). Linfield gets production from a variety of players;  Gillyan Landis and Eve Burke lead the team with 10.6 and 10.4 points per game. Ella Koebelin leads the 'Cats in assists (65) and three-point shooting (26 threes at a 30.2% clip), and Miki Vermeulen leads them in rebounding (8.6 per game). The Wildcats are coached by Casey Bunn-Wilson who's in her ninth year with the program.

George Fox (5-14 overall, 5-7 NWC) is riding a three-game win streak, including a major upset over Pacific to knock them out of first. The Bruins have been a stumbling block for Pacific, they've beat them in three of the last four matchups.

Fox is averaging 57.3 points per game (eighth in the NWC) while allowing 63.2. They've leaned on their defense during their recent win streak, holding opponents to less than 38% shooting. Offensively, the Bruins have looked to attack inside more often than not. They're shooting 30.2% from three (fourth in the conference) but have attempted 61 less than anyone else in the conference, and 224 less threes than Puget Sound (the leader in 3-point attempts). The Bruins also lead the conference in free throw percentage (73.6%) on the fourth-most attempts.

The Bruins are led by Alyssa Wells and Erin Yoshitake who are scoring 11.6 and 11.2 points per game. Wells leads the team in 3-point shooting (36 made at a 36.4% clip), assists (40), and steals (38). Fox has struggled rebounding, but Kylie Ritter will be Sanfo's biggest challenge down low as she leads the team with 5.1 boards per game. The Bruins are coached by Lauren Howard who's in her first year coaching the program after playing for George Fox and helping them to a national title appearance.

Maxwell's breakout: In the last three games, Maxwell has become a force. The transfer has averaged 15.3 points per game, shot 55% from the field, and 14-25 from three. Through the first 18 games, Maxwell averaged just 2.7 points per game, shot 26% from the field, and made just 14-50 from three. It seems the Columbia Basin transfer has found her footing. Maxwell will look to continue her hot streak this weekend and help Whitworth shake off its recent struggles.

Double-Doubles for days: Sanfo has continued to rack up the records in her freshman campaign, her 22-point, 11-rebound performance on Saturday was her sixth double-double of the season. Sanfo added five assists, a block, and an overtime 3-pointer in potentially the best game of her young career.

Dewey in the running: Dewey posted 27 points in the narrow loss to L&C, and she's close behind Baker for the NWC scoring title. She's racked up 352 points this season (16.8 per game) and is just 24 points behind Baker. Prior to this season, Dewey's season-high in scoring was 282 points (11.3 per game).

Overtime heartbreak: Whitworth has lost both overtime games its been in this season, both during this losing streak. The Pirates are 0-3 in their last three overtime games dating back to last season, all three of those have been at home.

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 will close the season with a road doubleheader at Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound on February 16-17.