Imai Scores 12 and Boling-Schmidt Adds 11 as Bearcats Fall to Whitman
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
6 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 66 |
|
|
21 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 52 |
Team Stats
Whitman
| Game Statistics | Whitman | Willamette |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (28-58) | (16-44) |
| Field Goal % | 48.3% | 36.4% |
| Rebounds | 36 | 22 |
| Assists | 20 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 18 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 13 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 36 | 18 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 13 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 12 |
Salem, Ore. - Willamette Women's Basketball started strong and jumped out to an early lead against league-leading Whitman College, but the Blues were able to battle their way back to defeat the Bearcats 66-52. Kaitlin Imai led the Bearcats with 12 points and was joined in double-figures by Daisy Boling-Schmidt with 11.
Whitman made the opening basket of the game on a layup by Lindsay Durango, but a three-pointer from Elyse Waldal gave the Bearcats a 3-2 lead. The Blues quickly took the lead back at 4-3, but Willamette scored eighteen straight points to take a 21-4 lead late in the first. Imai had three triples during the 18-0 run, capped off by a layup by Waldal. Whitman scored the final basket of the quarter and the Bearcats led 21-6 after the opening ten minutes.
Whitman scored the first basket of the second quarter as well and a Boling-Schmidt layup kept the Willamette lead at fifteen at 23-8. It was Whitman's turn to go on a scoring run and a 17-1 blitz put the Blues ahead 25-24 with just under three minutes remaining in the half. Maya Sanders hit a three to give the Bearcats the lead back at 27-25, but Whitman scored the final six points of the half to take a 31-27 lead to intermission.
Willamette stayed close to start the third quarter and pulled within two points on several occasions, but Whitman ended the quarter with a 9-2 run to lead 51-39 after three quarters. The Bearcats scored the opening points of the fourth quarter on two Horner foul shots, but Whitman held their double-digit lead throughout the final quarter and went on to win 66-52.
Maya Sanders added eight points for Willamette, followed by seven each from Gio Horner and Elyse Waldal. Boling-Schmidt led the Bearcats on the boards with five rebounds with Horner adding four of her own. Imai handed out three assists while Peyton Gardner contributed two assists off the bench.
Willamette plays at home again on Saturday, February 8th, when they take on Whitworth University. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm.