NU's Jessica Wilkerson scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Eagles Defeat Whitworth to Earn Seventh Win
KIRKLAND, Wash. – The Northwest University Eagles defeated Whitworth University, 70-64, in non-conference play tonight notching their seventh win and fourth straight victory.
A close contest all they way, the game saw the lead change 10 times and the scored tied 7 times . Taylor LaMoreaux closed out a tight first half for Whitworth by sinking two free throws to give the Pirates a 31-29 edge at the half.
Whitworth would build a 7 point lead (42-35) at the 13:16 mark in the second half and would hold on to the lead for a good four minutes until Northwest’s Jessalyn Jackson would sink two free throws to tie the game and then give the Eagles a one point lead at 49-48 with 7:59 left in the game. It would be a lead NU would not relinquish as they would increase the lead to eight, 60-52 on two free throws by Marielle McKean at the 5:06 mark. Whitworth would battle back and pull to within two points (60-58) on Heather Burke’s 3-pointer with 3:36 to go, but a jumper by Emily Drivstuen would put NU up 64-58 with 2:39 remaining in the game. Northwest would go 6 for 8 from the free throw line to close out the game and earn their seventh victory of the season.
"I hate playing Whitworth because I'm usually rooting for them", commented Eagle Head Coach Lori Napier who coached under Whitworth's Helen Higgs. "But Helen and I are competitors and we're both going to give it our all when we play one another. I must admit it's nice being on the winning side for once against such a great coach," Napier concluded.
Jessica Wilkerson (Sr., Issaquah, Wash.) led Northwest U. (7-5, 3-1 CCC) with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She also dished out 4 assists on the night. Junior Erika Hornyak (Everett, Wash.) dropped in 19 points for the Eagles who shot 41% from 2-point range and 44% from beyond the 3-point line. NU out rebounded Whitworth 50-49 and their bench outscored Whitworth’s bench 33-13.
Whitworth (4-5) was led by Liz Moriatis’ 19 points while teammate Cassie Pilkington registered a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pirates. Whitworth was held to 24% shooting from 2-point FG range and only 12% from the 3-point line.
NU will remain at home to host the Evergreen State College in a Cascade Conference contest on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 5:30 p.m.