Women’s basketball: Whitman turns back Whitworth rally in conference showdown

Whitworth erased a 25-point deficit and managed to pull even in the fourth quarter, but the Pirates were unable to wrestle away the lead from visiting Whitman in an 84-79 loss in a Northwest Conference women’s basketball game at the Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

Lily Gustafson’s layup gave the Blues (14-2, 6-1) a 59-34 lead with 6:55 left in the third quarter before Whitworth began its comeback. Sydney Abbott’s three-point play evened the score at 71-all with 3:58 remaining in the game, but Whitman held the Pirates (9-7, 2-5) to just two field goals the rest of the way to secure the win.

Abbott finished with 26 points and nine rebounds for Whitworth, and Talia Brandner added 22 points and six rebounds.

Mady Burdett paced the Blues with 22 points, including four 3-pointers.