Coupeville grad Makana Stone (far right) and Whitman are 18-1 after a win Saturday over PLU. (Photo courtesy Eileen Stone)
What did you think was going to happen?
Not this, that’s for sure.
Take the best college women’s basketball squad in the nine-team Northwest Conference, pit it against the cellar dweller, and a nail-biter was not expected to be on the menu.
But there lowly Pacific Lutheran University was midway through the fourth quarter Saturday, nipping unexpectedly at the heels of a red-hot Whitman College squad.
Until Makana Stone closed the door.
Chained to the bench for much of the first half thanks to early foul trouble, the Coupeville grad netted a pair of free throws with 34 ticks to play, ending PLU’s final hope.
Stone’s sweet shots stretched a one-point lead to three, and Whitman tacked on three more freebies in the final 13 seconds to claim a much-closer-than-expected 69-63 victory, keeping alive an 18-game winning streak.
Now sitting at 10-0 in league play, 18-1 overall, the Blues have six days off before they make a two-game trip to Oregon next weekend.
That road jaunt will feature stops at Lewis & Clark College and Pacific University Feb. 2-3.
After struggling to find a rhythm, with Stone, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder limited to just four minutes in the first half, Whitman seemed to have iced the game midway through the fourth.
Freshman Kaelan Shamseldin netted back-to-back three balls to push the lead to 64-55, and it was time for PLU to give up the good fight.
Not so fast, said the Lutes, as Madison Salisbury led an 8-0 rally, with her three-point play the hard way (layup and free throw) pulling the visitors within 64-63.
Whitman’s defense stiffened, though, holding PLU scoreless over the final 91 seconds.
Stone’s free throws gave the Blues breathing room, Casey Poe made it a two-possession game with a single successful shot from the charity stripe, and Taylor Chambers closed things out with two more freebies.
After scoring in double digits in 14 of the first 18 games, Stone was held to a season-low four points (on a season-low four shots), but she used her limited time well, grabbing five boards and handing out two assists.
Senior All-American Poe paced Whitman with 19 points, while junior Maegan Martin exploded off the bench for 18, her single-game best as a college player.
Through 19 games, Stone sits with 267 points, 122 boards, 34 assists, 13 steals and two blocks.
She’s shooting 58% from the floor (113 of 195) and 77% from the free throw line (41 of 53).
Luck runs out in Buffalo:
Coupeville’s other basketball-playing grad, D’Youville College freshman Kailey Kellner, didn’t have as much luck Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans surrendered an eight-point fourth quarter lead, then fell 78-76 in overtime to visiting Pitt-Greensburg.
The extra five minutes were a wild affair, with the teams combining for 32 points, capped by PG gunner Kelsey Oddis hitting what turned out to be a game-winning three-ball with 20 seconds to play.
It was one of seven treys Oddis, a senior averaging 19 points a night, hit en route to a game-high 32.
D’Youville had a chance to tie with seven seconds left, but missed two free throws.
Kellner finished with two assists and a rebound in 10 minutes of play. On the season, she has 46 points, 45 rebounds, 20 assists, eight steals and three blocks.
The loss was a rough one for the Spartans, who are fighting to earn a playoff berth in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
The top six teams from the 10-team conference advance, but D’Youville (4-7 in league, 5-13 overall) currently sits in 7th, a game behind Penn State-Behrend with seven to play.
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