SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth Pirates used stingy defense and wide-spread contributions to earn a 65-49 win over visiting Willamette in a Northwest Conference women's basketball matchup on Friday night.

The Pirates (5-7, 2-1 NWC) earned their first win over the Bearcats (5-7, 2-1 NWC) since 2022 and handed them their first NWC loss of the season.

Whitworth got out to an 8-2 lead to start the game after a Mya Bair Layup. Willamette responded and cut the lead to one after a three-point basket at the 5:41 mark, but the Pirates closed the quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 20-11 lead.

The teams traded baskets in the first five minutes of the second quarter before Skylar Tuckwood knocked down a three-point to give Whitworth a 28-15 lead with 4:43 to go in the half. Willamette once again battled back after a Kaitlin Imai jumper cut the lead to four, but the Pirates went into the half with a 31-24 lead. Bair and Keely Maves each scored six points and Bair grabbed nine rebounds. Whitworth shot 40.7% from the field at the break.

The Pirates missed their first six shots coming out of halftime before Maves ended the drought with a layup. The Bearcats capitalized and cut the lead to two after an Emma Floyd jumper with 4:12 left in the third quarter. Two minutes later, Alex Goetz caught fire and closed the final two and half minutes of the quarter on a personal 9-0 run after drilling a trio of three-point baskets to give Whitworth a 48-36 lead.

Willamette began the fourth quarter with a full-court press that the Bucs were able to fight through. A layup from Gio Horner early in the quarter closed the deficit to 10, but that would be as close as the Bearcats would get. The Pirates made nine of 10 free throw attempts and outscored Willamette17-13 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Whitworth shot 36.8% (21-57) from the field and made four of 22 (18.2%) three-point attempts. The Pirates went 19-24 from the free-throw line and had a 47-32 advantage on the glass. The Bearcats shot 31.7% (19-60) from the field and made five of nine free throw attempts.

Every player that played more than one minute for the Pirates scored. Bair filled up the stat sheet with eight points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Goetz led with 12 points and Keely Maves had 10. Ashlyn Peterson put in 11 points and nine rebounds and Addyson Gallatin had eight off the bench.

Horner led Willamette with 14 points and three steals. Imai was the only other Bearcat in double figures with 12 points on 5-20 field goal attempts.

The Whitworth women are back in action Saturday night when they host Lewis & Clark at 6:00pm.