TACOMA, Washington – 'The Twins' take center stage this weekend the No. 19 Puget Sound women's basketball team hosts No. 4/6 Whitman (Feb. 11) and Whitworth (Feb. 12) for senior weekend.
 
#Twinning
Sofia Lavinder and Georgia Lavinder are playing in their last career regular-season home games this weekend. However, their collegiate athletic careers continue after basketball season. The four-year Loggers compete with the women's golf team this spring.
 
Talk of the nation
The Loggers are ranked No. 19 in the country in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll. It is their fourth consecutive week in the Top-25, achieving a high of No. 17.
 
Conference landscape
Two weeks remain to decide the four seeds for the Northwest Conference Tournament. Whitman remains undefeated in the NWC (12-0), and the Loggers enter this weekend in second place (10-2). Pacific (9-3) is currently one game behind Puget Sound, and George Fox (6-5) has the inside track for the final postseason spot.
 
Highway robbery
The Loggers are the only NWC team averaging at least 10 steals per game (13.8). Puget Sound's defense has come up with double-digit steals in four consecutive games. It matched a season-high 22 steals in a win at Lewis & Clark last week (Feb. 4). Katie Minnehan's 3.5 steals per game far and away leads the NWC – no other player is averaging more than 2.1.
 
Biggest on the boards
The Loggers lead the conference on the glass, averaging 41.3 rebounds per game. Samantha Swartout averages a team-high 6.1 rebounds, and Sophie Nilsson averages 6.0. Katie Minnehan is chipping in with 5.3 rebounds per game.
 
Top tier
Friday night's game between the Loggers and Blues features the top two scoring teams in the NWC. Puget Sound is averaging 71.8 points per game, and Whitman is averaging 71.5. They are also the top two teams in turnover margin – Puget Sound leads the way (+5.15), and Whitman is close behind (+3.24).
 
Scouting No. 4/6 Whitman (20-1, 12-0 NWC)
The Blues are ranked No. 4 by the WBCA, and No. 6 by D3hoops.com. Their only loss this year was at UC Santa Cruz, 72-63 (Dec. 20). Kaylie McCracken leads the NWC in rebounding (9.9), and she ranks second in scoring (17.9). Korin Baker is the team's second-leading scorer (11.4). Whitman has the best field-goal percentage in the NWC (43.1-percent), but it ranks fifth in 3-point shooting (29.7-percent). Whitman beat the Loggers, 63-51, in Walla Walla earlier this season (Jan. 15).
 
Scouting Whitworth (8-13, 3-9 NWC)
The Pirates enter the weekend with three losses in their last four games. Megan Dorney is the team's leading scorer with 12.4 points per game, and she ranks second in rebounding (5.7) on the team. Olivia Mayer is Whitworth's second-leading scorer (12.0), and she is the team's leading rebounder (5.9). As a team, the Pirates are shooting 40.7-percent from the floor and averaging 35.1 rebounds per game. The Loggers beat Whitworth, 82-59, in Spokane less than a month ago (Jan. 14).