Kevin Blocker

Wilbur-Creston will be banking on 18 points per game from Jessica Martin (25). Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

So if longshot Republican Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan could upset Bob Dole in a primary in New Hampshire, could the Washington State women's basketball team pull off a win over No. 4 Stanford? Hardly. The Cardinal defeated the Cougars 87-63 Thursday night at Friel Court, and clinched at least a tie for the Pacific-10 Conference championship.

Whitworth's John Beckman, right, wraps up Linfield's Scott Lucas moments before Pirates teammate Nate Williams can offer a hand. About 2,000 witnessed the win. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Marianne Stanley says gender equity in college sports is hardly equal. Photo by Associated Press

Whitworth likes its chances in the Northwest Conference meet this weekend in the school's Aquatic Center thanks to Jeff, top, and Jerry Rice. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

One could have suffered first-degree burns after shaking Tina Smith's hand Saturday night. The Eastern Washington senior had the sizzling hand, pouring in a career-high 23 points and leading the Eagles past visiting Idaho 72-58 in a women's Big Sky Conference basketball game at Reese Court. Smith shot 8 for 13 from the floor, 2 for 2 from 3-point range, 5 for 5 from the free-throw line. She also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

Whitworth College star Roman Wickers, right, fights his way inside for first-half rebound. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Somewhere between the Globetrotters and the Washington Generals sit Whitworth seniors Jeff Arkills, Nate Dunham, Roman Wickers and John Beckman. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Washington State coach Harold Rhodes was sitting around with his staff Friday night when he looked at the Pac-10 standings and said, "Wouldn't it be great if UCLA upset Oregon State tomorrow?" That didn't happen. However, something even more miraculous did. Pac-10 cellar-dweller Arizona State knocked off Washington on Saturday night, allowing the Cougars and Beavers to move into a second-place tie with the Huskies. Rhodes, of course, was quite thankful the Sun Devils chose to upset the other Washington team. WSU had beaten ASU just two nights earlier at Pullman.

Whitworth College men's basketball coach Warren Friedrichs points Pirates in winning direction. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Washington State's women's basketball team played in Bohler Gym Saturday afternoon because the annual Junior Miss Pageant was being held on Friel Court. With that said, let's just call WSU's Jenni Ruff the queen of Saturday's Senior Miss Pageant at Bohler.

Central Valley High School alum Jacque Clark is having a ball on the basketball court for the Arizona Wildcats this season. The 6-foot-2 junior center is in the starting lineup and making significant contributions for Arizona. The Wildcats (13-3, 4-3 Pac-10) face Washington State (13-4, 4-3) in a crucial Pac-10 conference game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at WSU.

Coaching is always a little bit easier when a team is winning. Trying to keep players' heads up when things aren't going like one might hope is another story. Last year, the Whitworth Pirates and first-year coach Helen Higgs took the Northwest Conference by storm. They won the league's regular season and postseason, and advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II playoffs. Almost a year later, the Pirates (3-12 overall, 1-4) are tied for last place in the league.

College women Idaho's Mindy Rice needed the heart of a lion Thursday night, simply because she's had a thorn stuck in her left foot for sometime now. Suffering from plantar fascitis, a strain of the band of muscle beneath the arch, Rice pumped in 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead a second-half Vandals rally as Idaho beat Eastern Washington 72-61 in Big Sky Conference action in Memorial Gym at Moscow, Idaho. "I've had it since the summer," said Rice, who scored 20 points in the second half. "But it's only been within the past month that it has really started to hurt. Lately though, I've just been getting used to it."

1. Jenni Ruff takes it to Kim McGrew (21) and OSU in 64-63 win. Ruff played tough defense and led WSU with 28 points. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Yvonne Kunze, whose two foul shots clinched the win, reacts to the buzzer as the Cougars escape with a one-point victory over Oregon State. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Nate Dunham takes it strong to the hoop in Whitworth's 60-47 win. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Women's basketball The Washington State women's basketball team is doing something this season that it hasn't done in a long time. Injuries to the Cougars have been as routine as defeats in past years. The start of this season has been no different. Well, the injury part anyway. The wins, however, are starting to pile up. WSU defeated Oregon 72-59 Thursday night at Friel Court for its 10th win of the season.

This week marks the beginning of conference play for most of the women's basketball teams in the area. While some coaches litter their non-conference schedules with cupcake opponents to get easy victories, that certainly isn't the case with the teams around here. Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Idaho and NAIA Division II Whitworth went a combined 9-35 in non-conference play.

Whitworth's Nate Dunham has been selected Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges player of the week for his efforts in the Pirates' 74-63 win against Carroll College on Friday night. Dunham, a 6-foot-6 forward from Almira, Wash., registered 16 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots in 29 minutes against the Fighting Saints. The Pirates have jumped to a 6-1 start, and much of that has been due to the consistent play of Dunham.

WSU's Jen Kerns looks for a teammate to break free while facing the defensive pressure of Eastern's Shana Ray on Friday night in Cheney. WSU won, 86-66. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Remember this for future reference because it might be worth a prize at an Idaho women's basketball game: Vandals redshirt freshman Lara Chaney wears size 14 men's shoes. Chaney is Idaho's 6-foot-7 center from Richmond, Calif. She was 5-3 in kindergarten and, when high school started, she was 6-2 and weighed just under 300 pounds. By the time she finished, however, she was a lean 230.

Washington State women's basketball coach Harold Rhodes and Idaho coach Julie Holt were hopping mad after their teams met Tuesday night at Idaho's Memorial Gym. WSU won the game with .1 of a second left when Jade Hyett made her second free throw in a two-shot foul situation to give the Cougars a 72-71 win.

Depending on the availability of Central Washington center John Greer, Whitworth may or may not have its hands full tonight against the Wildcats at Ellensburg. Greer, a 6-foot-7 center was scheduled for an MRI on his left knee Thursday. Depending on the results, Greer may miss two to three weeks, according to Central coach Greg Sparling. Without him, the Wildcats (5-2) will suit up just eight players against Whitworth (3-1). Greer is averaging a team-high 21.7 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting close to 70 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Women's basketball notes Eastern Washington coach Heidi VanDerveer would have loved to have watched Washington play Gonzaga Wednesday night at GU given the fact that her Eagles head to Seattle Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest against the Huskies. However, NCAA rules prohibit coaches from scouting opponents live, so some of her players went instead. But even if she were there, VanDerveer realizes that what she might have seen from Washington Wednesday isn't what she and her team will face Saturday.