SPOKANE, Wash. – Kylie Ritter's big game provided the extra energy visiting George Fox needed to defeat Whitworth 70-59 in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Saturday at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The host Pirates fell to 5-18 overall and 4-10 in the NWC after pushing the NWC-tournament bound Bruins (13-10, 9-5) for much of the game.
Addyson Gallatin scored eight of Whitworth's first ten points to help the Bucs grab an early 10-6 lead. The Pirates took their last lead of the quarter at 14-12 on another Gallatin basket before George Fox scored the final five points, including a three-pointer by Tara Ushiro with seven seconds left that gave the Bruins a 17-14 edge after one period.
GFU quickly stretched the margin to 22-15 early in the second before Whitworth fought back to take a 27-26 lead on Ava DePew's three-point play. The Bruins closed the first half on a 7-2 run to lead 33-29 at halftime. The Pirates made 41% (12-29) of their shots in the first half despite missing eight of their nine three-pointers. GFU made 52% (14-27) from the field.
Whitworth was still within 35-33 two minutes into the third quarter after a put-back basket by CC Size. That's when Ritter took over, scoring ten straight point for the Bruins, including a pair of three-pointers, for a 45-33 lead. George Fox continued to pull away, eventually opening a 57-39 margin with just under a minute to play in the third quarter.
But the Pirates weren't done, outscoring the Bruins 8-0 over the final minute, including a half-court shot by Size at the buzzer, to get back within 57-47. Whitworth kept the run going into the fourth quarter, getting within 57-52 on Ayana Tobeck's three-pointer. A 10-3 run for GFU increased their lead back to 67-55 with just under four minutes to play and the Pirates never got closer than ten the rest of the way.
Gallatin posted her second straight double-double for Whitworth with 15 points and 12 rebounds, setting a new career-high for boards. Size scored a dozen points, as did Ashlyn Peterson. The Pirates finished the game 22-57 (39%) from the floor and 25% (4-16) from beyond the arc. Whitworth had a 31-30 edge in rebounding against the taller Bruins.
Ritter scored 28 points for George Fox while Emma Boehm added 11 points off the bench. The Bruin made 38 of 52 (54%) from the field and 7-14 (50%) from three-point range.
Whitworth will finish the 2025-26 season on the road at Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound next weekend.
