Whitworth women beat Whitman to improve to 13-0

Clinging to a one-point lead late in the game, Ferris graduate Karata Belton-Sharp hit Whitworth’s first 3-pointer of the game to lead the Pirates to a 59-52 win over conference rival Whitman on Tuesday night .

The win keeps No. 17 Whitworth’s record a perfect 12-0 and 3-0 in the Northwest Conference. Whitman, which played for the national championship last year, fell to 7-5 and 2-1.

The Pirates fed the ball all night into senior center Jessica Kramer. She scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

“They chose to defend us in a way that opened her up,” Whitworth coach Helen Higgs said. “It was our fourth game in eight days. It’s a rivalry game. We had a bit of extra emotion.”

The win matches the Pirates’ best start in school history. And it came on a night when Whitworth’s long-range shooters couldn’t find their mark.

The Pirates went 0 for 11 from the 3-point line until Belton-Sharp hit her first with 3:40 to play. Belton-Sharp, who finished with 12 points, hit another with 1:32 to play to seal the victory.

“I thought all of our 3s were good-looking shots,” Higgs said. “Eventually, one had to fall.”

Hailey Ann Maeda led the Missionaries with 17 points and guard Heather Johns scored 16 in the loss.

Whitworth next plays Linfield (7-4, 2-0) on Friday at 6 p.m.