Whitman cagers win big over Willamette

Whitman College played some “squash” on the basketball court Sunday.

The  women’s basketball team broke a school record with 14 3-pointers and squashed Willamette University 75-40, and the men's team led from wire-to-wire in an 87-60 victory over Willamette in Sunday’s games in Salem, Ore.

For the men, two Whitman freshmen and a sophomore combined for 49 points. Whitman, improving to 1-1 in the Northwest Conference and 7-4 overall, pestered Willamette into 30 turnovers as the Bearcats struggled through a poor shooting performance.

Willamette, falling to 0-2 in conference and 3-8 on the season, shot 30.8 percent from the floor and made just 17 of 33 (51.5 percent) attempts from the free throw line. Whitman led 42-32 at intermission and steadily pulled away in the second half.  

Whitman’s women, one day after scoring just 38 points in a loss at Lewis & Clark,  squashed Willamette University 75-40 and evened their Northwest Conference record at 1-1 and climbed to 6-5 on the season. Willamette stumbled to 0-2 in conference and 2-9 overall.

Ahead 52-34 with six minutes left, Whitman’s Missionaries reeled off 14 straight points to turn the game into a full-fledged rout.

Whitman continues Northwest Conference play when it hosts George Fox and Pacific universities this Friday and Saturday. The women’s games will start at 6 p.m. and the men’s at 8 p.m. on George Ball Court in Sherwood Center.