PORTLAND, Ore. – Lewis & Clark College women's basketball was unable to overcome a third-quarter run by Whittier College as they fell in their season opener 67-51 at Pamplin Sports Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
THE BASICS
 
Whittier 67, Lewis & Clark 51 
(Lewis & Clark 0-1)
(Whittier 1-0)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Senior Natalie Elstone hit two three-pointers and scored six of her 10 points in the first quarter as the Pioneers hung with the Poets and were down 13-12 after ten minutes. Elstone finished with eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal in the game.
 
The Pioneers experimented with multiple lineups throughout the afternoon, and nine players, including three freshmen, scored their first points of the season. Divinity Singleton hit a jump shot in the paint, off a feed from fellow freshman Zoë Anderson with 3:20 left in the third quarter to score her first collegiate bucket, while Anderson recorded her first career assist. Later in the quarter Anderson grabbed a defensive rebound, drew a foul on a fast break, and hit one of two free throws to record her first collegiate point.
 
Lauryn Frederickson grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in her first collegiate start. The freshman also scored her first bucket early in the final quarter and followed it up with her first three-pointer to score the final basket of the game for the Pioneers.
 
Senior point guard Karli Mukai led Lewis & Clark with 12 points and four assists in the season opener. Mukai also drew a team-high seven fouls against the Poets, including offensive fouls on back-to-back Whittier possessions.
 
Piper Curry went 2-2 from the charity stripe and hit a long three on her way to nine points and six rebounds.
 
Senior Charlotte Carroll added seven points and three rebounds for the Pioneers. Fellow senior Jamison Richards, playing in their first game since December 2022, added four rebounds and two assists.
 
Sophomores Emily Newton (three points) and Tatiana Rebanal (two points) rounded out the scoring for Lewis & Clark. Newton was also seeing her first playing time since early last season. Rebanal added two of the team's 13 assists in her eight minutes of play.
 
After the Poets extended their lead to 20 points late in the third quarter, the Pioneers chipped away to pull within 52-39 with 7:40 left in the game on a driving layup from Elstone. Frederickson's three with 2:44 remaining cut the Whittier lead to 12, but Lewis & Clark was held scoreless the rest of the game, despite out scoring the Poets 18-17 in the fourth quarter.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark had more second chance points (14-13), fast break points (2-0), and bench points (13-0) then Whittier.
• In last year's season opener only six players scored and only one, Rebanal, was a freshman.
• Carroll and Richards combined for 52 of the Pioneers 58 points against the Poets last season.

WHO'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark heads across the Willamette River on Saturday to take on Warner Pacific University at 2:00 p.m. in south east Portland.