 |  |
Jan. 17, 2009
Late Free Throws Give Pirates Win Over Lutes
SPOKANE - Natalie Orrell made a pair of free throws with 21 seconds remaining to give the Whitworth Pirates a 59-57 Northwest Conference women's basketball win over Pacific Lutheran on Saturday.
Pacific Lutheran had a chance to tie the score, but Amy Spieker's jumper with eight seconds missed. Whitworth missed two free throws in the closing seconds, but the Lutes were unable to get off a potential game-tying shot.
Tiffany Corigliano led the Pirates (10-5 overall, 4-2 NWC) with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, followed by Liz Horiatis with 12 points and Alida Bower with 11 points. Trinity Gibbons had 15 points for the Lutes (9-5, 3-2), aided by Spieker's 14 points, Nikki Scott's 12 points and Emily Voorhies' game-high 11 rebounds.
Whitworth held a 29-17 lead with 6:04 left in the half, but Gibbons score eight straight points during a a 13-0 PLU run to put the Lutes ahead, 30-29, going into the second half. After Gibbons extended the lead to 32-29 in the second half, Corigliano tied the score with her first of three treys. After a few exchanges of the lead, Whitworth's turn for a 13-0 run put the Bucs up 49-39 with 8:57 left in the game.
Pacific Lutheran chipped away at Whitworth's lead, eventually pulling even 57-57 with one minute to play after consecutive three-point makes by Spieker. The teams exchanged possessions one more time until Orrell pulled down a rebound and drew a foul, giving her the opportunity to win the game at the foul line.
Pacific Lutheran returns to action at 6 p.m. Friday when it hosts the Linfield Wildcats in a Northwest Conference game at Olson Auditorium.
(Courtesy of Whitworth Sports Information Office)
