PORTLAND, Ore – Scoring droughts stalled the Lewis & Clark Pioneers Saturday night as they hosted the Whitman Blues at Pamplin Sports Center, losing 69-46. Coming off a win Friday night against the Whitworth Pirates, the Pioneers fell short to the Blues who are currently ranked sixth in the nation, and first in the conference. 

A pressure defense worked well for the Pioneers in the first quarter, where they were able to hold the Blues to just 16 points. A significant scoring drought in the second dug a deep hold for Lewis & Clark to climb out of and the teams separated for halftime with a 40-19 Blues' lead. The Pioneers were able to chip away at the deficit slowly in the third, but it wasn't enough to carry them through the fourth to the buzzer. 

Jamison Richards and Delsie Johnson led the scoring efforts for the Pioneers with a combined 23 points. Johnson shot 66 percent from the field with five rebounds. Richards was perfect from the free-throw line and hit two three-pointers. Jessica Cerne and Charlotte Carroll added 11 points. The Blues were led by Kaylie Mccracken and Korin Baker who scored 14 points each. Mccracken added 10 rebounds.

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Key Moments

The Blues started off strong in the first quarter with a 7-0 run led by Kaelan Shamseldin. She also hit two early three-pointers. The Pioneers struggled with turnovers early but utilized a pressure defense and key scores from Richards, Johnson, and Cerne helped them finish the quarter with 11 points. Richards, who had 19 points against the Pirates last night, scored the first seven points for Lewis & Clark. 

The Blues' defense came out strong in the second quarter and efforts from Mccracken, Baker and Shamseldin saw Whitman score 24 points to the Pioneers' eight. Logan Kelly led the Pioneers' scoring efforts in the second quarter with four points. Coco Shafer and Cerne also helped the Pioneers add to the scoreboard. 

Down by 21 at the half, the Pioneers came out strong in the third to go on a 12-6 run. Johnson hit a crucial layup to start the momentum. Richards and Johnson added five points each with a lay-up and a three-pointer apiece. Carroll, Cerne and Shafer combined for six to chip away at the deficit but it wasn't enough to close the gap with Whitman.

Deeper Look

• Lewis & Clark currently sits at fifth in the conference
• Peyton Romo was benched due to an injury against the Whitworth Pirates in the first game of the weekend series
• Romo is the leading three-point shooter for the Pioneers with a 43.8 percent average
• Johnson leads the Pioneers in scoring with 226 points with Richards right behind her with 219 on the season
• They are seventh and ninth in the conference overall for scoring
• Johnson is second in the conference for rebounds
• Gabby Beltran and Karli Mukai combined for two steals

Looking Ahead

The Pioneers play again Wednesday night at Willamette after the game was rescheduled from Jan. 5. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.