Makana Stone and her new teammates at Whitman College suffered their first loss Saturday, falling 73-71 in overtime. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)
The home fans got everything but a win.
Playing on their home court in Walla Walla Saturday, with sole possession of first place in the Northwest Conference at stake, the Whitman College women’s basketball squad finally ran out of answers.
Giving up a bucket with 2.3 seconds to play in overtime, the Blues fell 73-71 to the University of Puget Sound in a thriller.
The loss drops Whitman to 14-1 overall, 5-1 in league play, while UPS rises to 14-1, 6-0.
The two schools will play again Feb. 10 in Tacoma in a game which might very well decide the league title.
Whitman, which got another strong performance from Coupeville grad Makana Stone, came within a ref’s call of perhaps sealing the deal in regulation.
With the Blues up 61-59 with 14 ticks on the clock, Casey Poe hit the back end of a one-and-one opportunity, only to have the make waved off after refs ruled a Whitman player had moved off the line early.
Given new life and only trailing two and not three, UPS was able to go inside, drew a foul and hit both free throws to knot things at 61-61.
When a final Poe shot skipped off the rim, it was on to overtime.
Stone, who played 12 minutes off the bench for the Blues, collecting two points and a team-high seven rebounds, was on the floor for the game’s final two minutes.
Trailing 71-68, Whitman got the ball to leading scorer Chelsi Brewer, who drew contact on a three-point shot as the clock slid under 10 seconds.
She calmly sank all three free throws, barely rippling the net, but UPS responded by coming down and getting a game-busting bucket in the paint from Elizabeth Prewitt.
Unable to call time, and with the clock running, Whitman threw up a half-court shot at the buzzer but could not buy a miracle.
Stone also picked up two blocked shots, a steal and an assist.
Her bucket came off of a mid-range jumper from the right side early in the second quarter, while her rebound set up a three-point bomb at the third-quarter buzzer by Mady Burdett.
Through the first 15 games of her freshman campaign, Stone is averaging 4.9 points and 4.9 rebounds a night.
She’s third on the team in rebounding with 73 caroms, and also has 11 steals, 10 assists and five blocks.
Whitman plays seven of its final 10 regular season games — all conference affairs — on the road, starting with a trip to Oregon next weekend.
The Blues face George Fox University (13-2, 5-1) Friday, Jan. 20 and Lewis & Clark College (10-5, 3-3) the next day.
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