By Jake Bilyeu, PLU Sports Information Student Writer
WALLA WALLA – The Pacific Lutheran women's basketball team concluded its weekend road trip to eastern Washington Saturday night against Whitman, as the Lutes fell to the Missionaries 76-53 at Sherwood Center.
Lacey Nicholson and Megan Abdo scored the first four points of the game on layups for the Lutes, and the first quarter saw both teams go back and forth with five tie scores. A six-point run by Whitman late in the quarter put the Missionaries up 18-12 before Sarah Barnes closed the quarter with a jumper to pull PLU within four.
Whitman tried to boost its lead throughout the second quarter, but the Lutes remained within reach. Ionna Price's big first half – with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting – helped to keep the Lutes in the game, as she made it a four-point contest at 29-25 late in the second quarter. A Whitman run allowed the Missionaries to take a 37-29 lead into the halftime break.
"The first half was just great basketball; props to Whitman for hitting some tough shots," PLU head coach Jennifer Childress said. "Ionna was a great presence on the block and withstood some strong contact to finish underneath."
After opening the third quarter with another Barnes jumper, the Lutes saw Whitman use a 15-2 run to go up 52-33 midway through the period. The Missionaries stretched that lead to 21 points going into the fourth. PLU returned to form in the fourth quarter, but trading buckets with the hosts was not enough to counter the third quarter Whitman run that proved to be the difference in the game.
"We are working on correcting our third quarter flat starts," head coach Jennifer Childress said. "Whitman found a new gear starting the second half, and we weren't able to match."
Price's 11 points led the Lutes, while Madison Green-Hayward scored 10 and Abdo tallied nine. Alysse Ketner scored 17 points to lead Whitman, while Casey Poe added 15 and Caitlin Mazzoleni totaled 14 for the Missionaries.
The Lutes will have a quick turnaround for their next game, as they visit cross-town rival Puget Sound Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Memorial Fieldhouse.
