The Pioneer women went 1-1 on the trip to Eastern Washington, dropping Saturday's game at Whitman 61-54 (box score). Crystal Castle scored 17 points for the Pioneers.

The Whitman Missionaries jumped in front 17-10 midway through the first half, but Lewis & Clark rallied to forge ties at 23 and 25. The Missionaries, who led 29-28 at the break, extended their advantage to 37-31 at the 17:05 mark of the second half, but Castle's 3-pointer gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game at 42-41 with 11:01 left.

One night after blitzing Pacific with 11 3-pointers, the Missionaries hit just one long ball against Lewis & Clark, but it was a big one. With the teams deadlocked at 48,Whitman reserve Ellen Vertatschitsch struck from deep in the left corner with 3:38 left to play to put Whitman up for good. Kim Kittell (sophomore, Tillamook, Ore.) responded with a quick drive to the hoop, cutting Whitman's lead to 51-50, but the Missionaries' Kelsey Krumdieck countered with two free throws and Jenele Peterson  and Michelle Krall followed with baskets to give the Missionaries a 57-50 edge with just 1:42 left on the clock.

The Pioneers clawed back to within three points, but Whitman beat the press and Krumdieck finished with a three-point play at the end to make it 60-54 with 16 seconds remaining. Krumdieck added a free throws in the waning seconds to complete the scoring.

Crystal Castle (senior, Rocklin, Calif.) paced Lewis & Clark with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Kim Kittell followed her 22 point performance against Whitworth with 13 points and four boards.

The Pioneers are on the road Friday night, taking on the NWC-leading George Fox Bruins in Newberg. Tip off is at 6pm. Live play-by-play of the game will be available live on the internet through sportsjuice.com.

<i>Portions of this story are contributed by the Whitman Sports Information Office</i>