PARKLAND – A 60-point second half helped propel the visiting Whitworth Pirates past Pacific Lutheran Saturday night, as the visitors claimed a 89-56 Northwest Conference women's basketball victory at Names Family Court.
The Lutes fell to 7-14 overall and 3-9 in NWC play, while the Pirates improved to 16-5 overall and 10-2 in conference. With the win, Whitworth remains comfortably within the top three positions and is guaranteed a spot in the Northwest Conference Tournament at the end of the regular season.
The Lutes opened up the contest strong and traded baskets in the opening minutes with the visitors before taking the lead off a pair of Samantha Potter free throws at the 13:16 mark. The foul shots were a part of a 14-4 PLU run midway through the first half. The Lutes opened up their largest lead of the night at six points after a Shelly Kilcup jump shot with 1:29 to play in the half, and they headed into the halftime break with a slim 32-29 lead.
After the restart it was all Whitworth, as the Pirates shot 18-of-32 from the field (56.2 percent), including 8-of-11 from three-point range. Kandra Lahue posted 15 second-half points (of her 19 overall) to pace the prolific offense and run away from the Lutes. Pacific Lutheran was unable to answer on the offensive end, shooting 29.6 percent (8-27) from the floor in the half. Kaylan Johnson led all scorers with 21 points on the evening.
PLU had three players in double-figures on the night, including Katelyn Smith, who registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Megan Abdo put up a hard-earned 11 points of her own, and Sarah Barnes added 10. The Lutes were unable to find any offense from deep range, only managing one three-point basket in the contest on seven attempts. PLU turned the ball over 20 times to Whitworth's 11, which the Pirates capitalized on to score 24 points on forced turnovers.
The Lutes have a quick turnaround before their next game, as they will host cross-town rival Puget Sound Tuesday night at 6 p.m. for Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
