By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's hoops heads to California this week looking to grab their first win of the young season. The Bucs visit Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Thursday at 6:00pm and Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at 1:00pm.
Check the Whitworth women's basketball schedule for live links to this week's games.
Watch on FloCollege: All of Whitworth's Northwest Conference athletic events will be streamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $108 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
Pirate basketball games are called by Bud Nameck who enters his 11th season as the voice of Whitworth basketball. An Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Famer, Nameck has more than 30 years of experience calling college basketball at Gonzaga University and Washington State.
The Pirates: Whitworth dropped a pair of games to first-time opponents at the Kim Evanger Raney Memorial Classic in Walla Walla to open the season last weekend.
The Bucs fell 58-53 to Wisconsin-Platteville on Friday. The Pioneers shot just 25% from the field in the first half but led 27-26 at the break after grabbing 10 offensive rebounds. Whitworth came out firing in the third quarter. A three-point play from CC Size gave the Pirates the lead early and Ashlyn Neilsen made a pair of free throws to put the Bucs up by eight heading into the final frame. UW-Platteville went on to outscore the Pirates 22-9 in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Whitworth shot 34.7% from the floor and the Pioneers shot 29.2%. Size led the Pirates with 15 points.
St. Thomas defeated Whitworth 61-50 on Saturday. The Bucs led early but the Celts gained momentum and led 14-11 after the first quarter. Whitworth battled back from a seven-point deficit in the second quarter, but St. Thomas responded with an 8-0 run and closed the half up 32-22. Despite the Pioneer lead extending to as much as 17 in the third quarter, the Bucs stayed in it due to a huge quarter from Ashlyn Peterson. Peterson scored 13 of the 19 Pirate points including three shots from beyond the arc. Whitworth trailed by nine after three quarters and could not overcome the Celts' 16 second-chance points. The Bucs shot 39.6% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range. Peterson scored 21 points to lead the Pirates and Mikiah Dunham added 14.
The Opponents: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is 3-1 to start the 2025-26 season after finishing with a 10-15 record last season. The Athenas have a 9.5 scoring margin and are shooting 33.6% from the field. The CMS defense has shown to be a strength as opponents have shot just 28.7% from the floor and averaged 19.5 turnovers per game. Senior guard and 2024-25 second team All-SCIAC honoree Renee Chong returns to lead the Athenas. So far this season, Chong posts 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Graduate Caleigh Edwards leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 12.0 points and six rebounds per game. Whitworth has played CMS four times since 2006 and won each game, the latest being a 59-48 win in 2023.
Pomona-Pitzer finished last season with a 14-13 record and holds a 2-1 record to begin this season. The Sagehens defeated Northwest Conference opponent Pacific (Ore.) 61-57 on Sunday. Pomona-Pitzer is shooting 42.0% from the floor and an impressive 44.8% from beyond the arc. The Sagehens have struggled to rebound and take care of the ball so far this season with a -7.7 rebound margin and an average of 22 turnovers per game. Junior Forward Abigail Homan leads the team with 14.7 points and seven rebounds per game. Guards Sara Chicco and Emily Lee add 12.7 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. The Pirates have beaten Pomona-Pitzer in all three matchups since 2003, the latest being an 81-61 win in 2021.
Young Bucs: For the second consecutive season, the Whitworth women do not have a senior on their roster. Of the 15 players, 12 are freshmen or sophomores. Led by 2024-25 Northwest Conference Rookie of the Year Ashlyn Peterson, the Bucs young core has significant experience to build from as they look to take another jump this season.
The Coach: Kenny Love is in his fourth 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 27-50 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.
Up Next: The Whitworth women will visit NAIA opponent Northwest (Wash.) for a midweek battle on Tuesday, November 5th. After a Thanksgiving break, the Bucs will return to Whitworth Fieldhouse to host Benedictine on December 14th and UC Santa Cruz on December 17th.
