by By Caden Frank
SPOKANE, Wash. – The showdown featuring the Northwest Conference’s top two scorers did not disappoint.
Korin Baker racked up 26 points and Whitman outlasted Kimberly Dewey’s 23 points, and a double-double from Zalissa Sanfo to beat the Pirates 58-52 in the Fieldhouse.
Dewey and Baker were tied atop the conference in scoring coming into the night, each averaging 16 points per game.
Sanfo, the NWC rebounding leader, posted 12 points and 11 rebounds but the Pirates were outrebounded 49-30, giving up three consecutive offensive rebounds at one point on a crucial possession late in the fourth.
Whitworth (3-9 overall, 0-3 NWC) stayed within one possession for much of the opening quarter as Dewey and Baker traded buckets. It was Dewey who had the final say, burying a pull up jumper at the buzzer to cut Whitman’s lead to 19-17 at the end of the first.
But baskets were hard to come by in the second frame. Whitworth shot a mere 2-15 (13.3%) while the Baker-led Blues created separation with a 16-4 run, Baker carried the load for Whitman (10-2 overall, 2-1 NWC) in the first half racking up 20 points and 9 rebounds. Dewey came away with 11 in the first half, nine coming in the first quarter.
The Pirates found themselves in a 46-31 hole late in the third, but Cheyenne Rodgers came up with a steal and found Zalissa Sanfo on the other end to cap a 9-0 run and cut the Whitman lead to six.
With 6:28 to play Rodgers kicked it out to Dewey who drilled a wide open three to bring Whitworth to 48-45. Dewey buried another triple and Dawson Driggs converted a pair of free throws to keep Whitworth within a possession with 2:36 remaining, but they failed to bring it even.
