Box Score WALLA WALLA, Wash.—The Puget Sound women's basketball program ran into a highly-ranked Whitman squad Friday night, falling to the fourth-ranked Missionaries 82-64 in their first Northwest Conference road game of the season.
The Loggers kept up for most of the first half, staying within 10 for the first 17 minutes of the half. They fell behind 7-0 two minutes in, but Emily Sheldon got Puget Sound on the board with a layup 28 seconds later. She made the Loggers' second bucket of the game as well, netting another layup at 16:12. Sheldon was one of the two Puget Sound players to score 10 points, with six of them coming in the first.
Amanda Forshay was the other Logger player to score 10 points Friday night as she hit the mark for the ninth time this season. Like Sheldon, Forshay made six of her points in the first. Forshay's first-half buckets came between the 10:00 and 00:59 marks of the period.
With five minutes left in the first half, Puget Sound pulled within two of the hosts after rattling off eight straight points. Ashley Agcaoili and Forshay made back-to-back field goals to kick off the stretch, while Sheldon and Katy Ainslie both netted jumpers in the 15th minute of the half.
At the 4:51 mark of the period, however, Whitman started a 9-0 run to pull ahead 33-20. The Loggers netted three buckets in the last 1:27, though, and went into the locker room down 37-26.
Coming out of the locker room, Sheldon and Ainslie both hit jumpers in the first 40 seconds, pulling the Loggers back within seven. At the 17:49 mark the Missionaries kicked off an 11-0 run to take a 19 point lead. Alexis Noren stopped the run temporarily with a successful jumper, but Whitman took its first 20-point advantage 50 seconds later after two free throws and a layup.
Puget Sound responded with six points, four from Ainslie, to come back within 15. The post player from Redmond, Wash., ended the night with both nine points and nine rebounds, more than any other Logger player.
After coming within 15, the Loggers would come no closer, falling by a final score of 84-62. The Missionaries' mark is the highest by any Puget Sound opponent this season, and they also shot 54.0% from the floor, the best field goal percentage by a Logger opponent all year as well.
Sheldon and Forshay led the Loggers with 10 points apiece, and Ainslie led the squad with nine rebounds. Heather Johns of Whitman led all players with 19 points. She also grabbed nine rebounds to lead the team, matching Ainslie's mark.
The Loggers (8-4, 1-2 NWC) look to bounce back with a road victory Saturday, January 11, with a contest at Whitworth. They take on the Pirates at 6:00 p.m. at Whitworth Fieldhouse in Spokane, Wash.
