By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's basketball will play its final home games of the 2025-26 season this weekend. The Pirates host Lewis & Clark on Friday at 5:30 pm before George Fox visits on Saturday at 3:00 pm.
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.
The Pirates: Whitworth (4-17 overall, 3-9 NWC) fell to the Northwest Conference's top teams last weekend.
The Bucs held their own but ultimately fell 37-47 to Whitman on Tuesday night. After a first half of momentum swings, the Pirates took a one-point lead midway through the fourth quarter but could not hold on as the Blues scored the final eight points of the game. Ashlyn Peterson led with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Ava DePew had seven points and eight boards. Whitworth shot 33.3% from the field.
On Friday, first-place Linfield came away with a 76-53 win over the Pirates. The Wildcats never trailed and shot 45.3% from the field. Peterson again led with 19 points and Brenna Gilchrist added eight. Whitworth shot 32.7% from the floor and made six of 19 (31.6%) shots from three-point range.
Leading the Way: Sophomore point guard Ashlyn Peterson is following up her 2024-25 NWC Rookie of the Year campaign with another standout season. Peterson currently leads the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg), is tied for first in three-point field goals made per game (2.1), and second in total three-pointers (44). For the second consecutive season, she also leads the conference in minutes per game (35.0).
Stat Sheet Stuffer: Pirate guard Ava DePew is making a big impact as a first-year Pirate. She is second in the conference in rebounds per game (8.0), third in assists (3.2) and second in assists to turnover ratio (1.3).
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.
Inland Northwest Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Bud Nameck, familiar in Spokane as the KXLY channel 4 sports director for over 20 years and the longtime host of the KXLY 920am Morning News, is in his 11th season as the voice of the Pirates in 2025. He was the voice of Washington State University men's basketball for 22 years and spent that same amount of time on the Cougar football broadcasts – the final three on play by play. He is a longtime resident of the Inland Northwest who began his career as the Sports Information Director and radio voice of Gonzaga University basketball and baseball in the 1980s.
Listen to Road Games: Fans can tune in online and listen to Pirate road games for free at WhitworthPirates.com. Bud Nameck will provide play by play when Whitworth is away from the Fieldhouse.
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark is 6-15 overall and 3-9 in conference play heading into this weekend. The River Otters snapped a five-game losing streak with a comeback win over Pacific (Ore.) last weekend. L&C ranks third in the conference in scoring (63.9 ppg) despite a NWC worst 34.5 field goal percentage. Their ability to get to the free throw line has been a significant strength for the Otts as they have made 52 more free throws than any other NWC team, while making 74.4% of attempts. Junior forward Lauryn Frederickson leads the team in points (13.0) and the conference in rebounds (8.5) per game but has not played in L&C's last four games. Sophomore guard Kaitlen Carns has averaged 18.5 points per game in Frederickson's absence and leads the team in assists (2.4) per game. Whitworth has won the last three games against the River Otters, including a 67-62 win in Portland on January 17th.
George Fox (12-9, 8-4 NWC) won each of its games last weekend and can clinch a spot in the NWC tournament with a Willamette loss to Linfield on Tuesday night. GFU will play at Whitman on Friday before making the trip to Spokane. The Bruins are fifth in the conference in scoring (62.6 ppg) and fourth in scoring defense (59.7 ppg). GFU demonstrates their efficient shooting with a NWC leading field goal percentage of 42.4%. Junior guard Hanne Hopkins leads team in both points (13.7) and assists (4.3) per game. Seniors Mia Skoro and Kylie Ritter each post 11.0 points per game. Both Hopkins and Skoro missed the Bruins' last two games. GFU has beaten the Pirates in each of the last three matchups, including a 58-44 win on January 16th.
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 a strong young core, the Bucs have significant experience to build from as they look to take another jump this season.
NWC Race: Linfield (10-1), Puget Sound (10-2) and Whitman (10-2) are each fighting for the Northwest Conference title and right to host the NWC Tournament. George Fox (8-4) can clinch the fourth and final NWC Tournament spot with a Willamette (6-7) loss on Tuesday or a Bruin win on Friday.
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 31-65 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 wrap up the 2025-26 women's basketball season on the road at Pacific Lutheran on February 20th and Puget Sound on February 21st.
