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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Strong 2nd half lifts Whitworth women past PLU

The Whitworth women’s basketball team allowed Pacific Lutheran to hang close for a half but the Pirates plundered the Lutes in the second half for a 65-49 victory Saturday at Whitworth Fieldhouse.

“We didn’t have much energy to start the game,” coach Helen Higgs said. “But I was happy with how we responded. We had a lot more bounce in our legs in the second half.”

The game started with a rare technical called on No. 18 Whitworth for failing to have the scorebook ready in time. It allowed Tayler Flemming to sink two free throws before the game clock started.

But it didn’t take the Pirates (16-1, 7-1 NWC) long to respond and they built a 10-point lead. But the Lutes (4-12, 1-6) responded with a run to make it 29-26 at the break.

The Pirates defensive pressure eventually ground down the Lutes and Whitworth led by as many as 16 points with less than 3 minutes to play.

Junior guard KC McConnell led the Pirates with 19 points and she had eight rebounds. Katara Belton-Sharp and Lexie Zappone both scored 12 points. Jessica Kramer led Whitworth with 10 boards and she also had four points.

“I like where we are at,” Higgs said. “We have only one loss on the road to a top-10 team.”

Pacific Lutheran was led by Megan Abdo’s 12 points. Lacey Nicholson had 11 for PLU, which lost the battle on the boards 47-32 to Whitworth.