by Christina Russell
WHITMAN COLLEGE PIONEER

The Missionaries dominated Lewis and Clark on Friday night, claiming a victory in overtime, 71-63.

The win marked the beginning of the conference opener for both Lewis and Clark and Whitman, a game that augmented Whitman’s record to 3-1 and brought Lewis and Clark’s down to 2-2.

Senior Katie Patneaude earned a game-high score of 20 points, scoring her last six in overtime.

At the buzzer, the teams were tied at 60-60.

With Patneaude’s six points, in addition to Kelsey Krumdiek’s two free throws, Whitman was up 68-63 with 30 seconds left, when Kristina Francis scored the game shot, a three-pointer.

Patneaude is leading the team this year, alongside senior Sarah Nicholes.

“Lewis and Clark is a big, physical team,” said Nicholes. “Although we had some breakdowns, overall I was very impressed by the way our team handled Lewis and Clark’s pressure, rebounded, and earned the win.”

Other noteworthy performers included Francis, who went seven for seven, including three 3-point shots.

First-year Michelle Krall also had a good game, earning 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three clocked shots.

Overall, Whitman was most successful shooting in the second half, making 60 percent of their shots, including overtime.

Thus far, Whitman has dominated in rebounding; they have out-bounded every team they’ve played, including Lewis and Clark, 38-32.

This is the second victory Whitman has claimed in overtime play.

Last month the Missionaries faced Corban College, 90-83, with a score of 18-11 in overtime.

Nicholes spoke on behalf of the team regarding their outlook thus far in the season: “I think the game gave all of our new teammates an idea of how tough the Northwest Conference is and how hard we must play in order to win games. Even though we are a young team, we have the potential to be very successful this season.”