By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – After the holiday break, Whitworth women's basketball returns to the court this weekend to host Willamette on Friday at 5:30pm and Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday at 3:00pm in its first Northwest Conference matchups of the season.
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 (www.whitworthpirates.com/tickets). Tickets are $14 for adults and $8 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Whitworth students, as well as faculty and staff, get free admission by using an ID number.
Watch on FloCollege: All of Whitworth's home and 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 (1-8) battled hard but couldn't come away with a win at the Hoops in Hawaii Classic in Honolulu.
The Bucs fell 59-49 to St. Norbert College on December 21st. Whitworth never led in the game but fought to a 47-47 tie in the fourth quarter. The Pirates couldn't get shots to fall with a chance to take the lead as the Green Knights pulled away with a 12-2 run. Ashlyn Peterson led the Bucs with 20 points while CC Size scored 10 and Alex Goetz finished with eight. Ava DePew grabbed 10 rebounds.
Whitworth wrapped up the Hoops in Hawaii Classic and closed the non-conference schedule with a 71-49 loss to Albion College on December 22nd. The Bucs battled to a 41-40 lead midway through the lead following a three-pointer from Size. The Brits responded and outscored the Whitworth 31-8 the rest of the way. Peterson led the Pirates with 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. DePew posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Opponents: Willamette comes into this weekend with a 3-7 overall record and a 0-1 NWC record. The Bearcats lone conference game was a 78-73 loss at George Fox on December 5th. WU averages 61.5 points per game and gives up 67.7 while shooting 39.3% from the field. The Bearcats won't be shy to fire shots from distance as they lead the NWC with 7.6 three-point field goals made per game, while making 30.8% of attempts. First-year player Riley Walden leads the team in scoring with 13.0 points per game and adds 5.5 rebounds. Senior guard Katilin Imai posts 11.0 points and a team-high 3.1 assists per game. Whitworth split its two matchups with Willamette last season, the first being a 65-49 win in Spokane.
Pacific is 5-5 overall (0-1 NWC) heading into its trip to Spokane. The Boxers closed their non-conference schedule with a 1-2 trip to Georgia. Pacific scores 65.3 points per game and shoots 41.2% from the field, ranking third and second in the NWC, respectively. The Boxers force difficult shots defensively with the second-best opponent field goal percentage in the conference (36.3). The offense is led by senior guard Shaade Williams who posts 13.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Guards Lindsay Barden (10.3) and Sydney Esperanza (10.5) each score in double figures. Pacific has won 10 consecutive games against the Pirates. The last Whitworth win over the Boxers came in January of 2019.
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 28-56 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: Whitworth will head to Whitman for a mid-week battle on Tuesday January 6th before heading to Linfield on Saturday, January 10th.
