
Makana Stone and Whitman College women’s basketball are a sparkling 10-1 on the season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
One weekend into league play, and things look pretty darn good.
Sparked by a 14-point, 11-rebound performance from Coupeville’s Makana Stone, the Whitman College women’s basketball team rolled to another win Saturday night.
Decimating visiting Pacific Lutheran University 69-56 in a game which could have been an even bigger blowout, the Blues won their fourth straight game.
With the victory, Whitman, ranked #13 in NCAA D-III, sits at 2-0 in Northwest Conference play, 10-1 overall.
The Blues are tied atop the league standings with Pacific (2-0, 8-3) and Willamette (2-0, 8-3), a team they play next weekend.
Stone and Co. return to action next Friday, January 10, against Lewis & Clark (0-2, 1-9), then play Willamette the next day.
Both games will be in Walla Walla, on Whitman’s home floor at the Sherwood Athletic Center.
Facing off with PLU, the Blues came out aggressively, running the Lutes off the floor in the game’s opening minutes.
Stone slapped home a layup to open the scoring, sparking a 13-0 run to effectively put the game on ice before the first quarter was even done.
Whitman led 17-3 at the first break, then stretched its lead out to 34-16 at the half, and 54-31 by the end of the third quarter.
Facing off largely against the Blues bench players, PLU put together a 25-15 run in the fourth quarter to make the game seem a bit closer than it was in reality.
Stone, who tied with Mady Burdett for team-high scoring honors, tossed in all 14 of her points across the first three quarters.
Her 11 boards were a game-high, and the former Wolf ace also made off with a steal during 27 minutes of action.
On the season, Stone has 163 points, 92 rebounds, 14 assists, 14 steals, and 12 blocks.
She’s hit 67-122 (54.9%) from the field and 27-33 (81.8%) at the free throw line.
Saturday’s game was the 94th of Stone’s collegiate career, and the former CHS star grabbed her 700th rebound in a Blues uniform, finishing the night with 704.
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