Whitworth improves to 9-0 by rallying from eight-point deficit
When it comes time to choose NCAA Division III women’s basketball playoff participants, the selection committee looks at varied criteria, including non-conference games.
Games such as Thursday night’s matchup between the Whitworth Pirates and the visiting Concordia Cobbers from Moorhead, Minn., enter the mix.
It won’t hurt Whitworth’s cause that it rallied in the second half to win 63-60 in the Quality Inn Whit Classic.
“For getting into the (NCAA) tournament, it is really important,” said Whitworth coach Helen Higgs of her team’s – and the school’s – first undefeated non-conference season. “Of the games this week, this one was the one we really didn’t want to lose, because they are a West Region team too.
“Now we will root for them to win out.”
The Pirates, 9-0 and ranked as high as 19th in the NCAA Division III, trailed 53-45 with 9 minutes left before rallying behind tournament Most Valuable Player Sarah Shogren, Tiffany Speer and Dani Bielec.
Shogren, who reached the 1,000-point career mark in the second half, scored four consecutive points after a Whitworth timeout. Speer, who also made the all-tournament team after leading the Pirates with 23 points, scored another bucket. Bielec, who led the Northwest Conference in steals last season, came up with a huge one in the final minute, after her free throws had given Whitworth its first second-half lead, 58-56 with 3 minutes remaining.
Whitworth’s lead was 60-58 with 2:50 left after a jumper by Concordia’s Mandy Pearson, who finished with 18 points and also made the all-tourney team. More than 2 minutes later, the score was unchanged and Whitworth had the ball.
Bielec drove baseline and lost control. The Cobbers (4-3) had another chance with 29 seconds left, but Bielec stripped that chance and the ball from the All-American Pearson with 16 seconds left.
“Of course (Pearson) was going to get it,” said Bielec, a senior from Coeur d’Alene. “I turned it over on the other end and I was mad. I wanted to get it back and not let my team down.”
She didn’t. Diving on the floor, Bielec got the ball to freshman Emily Hendrickson, who was fouled, sank both free throws and capped the Pirates’ undefeated preseason.
“That was one of (the teams’) goals,” Higgs said. “I let them set it (as a goal), but I knew how tough our preseason was, so I wasn’t sure. It’s great that they got their first one.”
In the night’s other game, Carroll defeated Whitman 70-51. The two teams had met less than a month ago and Whitman (5-4) won 80-69. This time, the Saints (13-4) used balanced scoring (three players in double figures, led by Andrea Hall’s 14) and depth (nine players scored) to gain the win. Carly Syverson, who played at Community Colleges of Spokane the past two years, had nine assists to spark the Saints offense. Central Valley High and CCS product Katie Rodgers came off the bench to score six.
Whitworth 63, Concordia 60
Concordia (4-2) – Hageman 5-6 1-1 11, Ehlert 1-5 0-0 2, Keeley 2-6 0-0 4, J. Visness 2-11 0-0 6, Pearson 7-17 2-3 18, Aarestad 1-1 0-0 2, Meyer 1-3 0-0 3, K. Visness 0-5 1-2 1, White 3-4 0-0 6, Levos 0-0 0-0 4, Krabbenhoft 3-5 0-0 7. Totals 25-63 4-6 60.
Whitworth (8-0) – Speer 7-16 8-12 23, Shogren 5-15 4-5 14, Coppin 2-7 0-0 4, Liu 1-5 0-0 2, Bielec 3-7 3-4 12, Gradley 0-1 0-0 0, Hendrickson 3-6 2-2 8. Totals 21-57 17-23 63.
Halftime—Tied 32-32. 3-point goals—Concordia 6-18 (Keeley 0-2, J. Visness 2-5, Pearson 2-6, Meyer 1-2, Krabbenhoft 1-3). Whitworth 4-14 (Bielec 3-6, Coppin 0-1, Shogren 0-1, Liu 0-2, Hendrickson 0-1, Speer 1-3). Fouled out—none. Rebounds—Concordia 39 (Pearson 13), Whitworth 39 (Speer, Shogren 11). Assists—Concordia 14 (J. Visness, Pearson, K. Visness 3), Whitworth 14 (Liu 6). Total fouls—Concordia 20, Whitworth 12. A—250.