PARKLAND – One month after Pacific Lutheran took undefeated Whitman to overtime in Walla Walla, the third-ranked Missionaries shot 63 percent in the first half to put the game away early en route to a 76-46 Northwest Conference women's basketball win over the Lutes Friday night at Names Family Court.
Whitman picked up its 20th win this season and maintains its undefeated record, finishing the game at a 56.4 percent shooting clip (31-of-55). The Missionaries made more than 75 percent of their two-point attempts in the first half (15-of-19) in building a 37-18 lead going into halftime. Pacific Lutheran falls to 7-13 overall and 3-8 in conference play with the loss. Both teams return to action Saturday, with Whitman taking on Puget Sound and the Lutes hosting Whitworth, with tipoff set for 4 p.m.
The Missionaries scored the first six points of the contest before a pair of free throws by Samantha Potter put PLU on the board. A jumper by Shelly Kilcup pulled PLU within two, but Whitman scored the next four points and used a nine-point run a few minutes later to push its lead into double-figures with a 24-10 advantage midway through the opening period.
The second half saw more of the same, as Whitman made 50 percent of its shots in the period (14-of-28) to pull away to the 30-point victory. PLU improved its shooting in the second half, making 42.9 percent of its attempts (12-of-28) after hitting only 25 percent (8-of-32) before halftime, as the Lutes settled for a 33.3-percent shooting performance overall (20-of-60).
Katelyn Smith finished one rebound shy of a double-double for PLU, scoring 10 points while grabbing nine boards. Megan Abdo made the Lutes' only two pointers and finished with nine points, while Kilcup totaled eight points and six rebounds.
Heather Johns made 10 of her 14 shot attempts to score a game-high 20 rebounds, and she added seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the win. Sarah Anderegg sat much of the first half after picking up two early fouls but still finished the night with 13 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks. Meghan White and Chelsi Brewer each added 12 points for the Missionaries.
