SPOKANE, Wash.—Lewis & Clark College women's basketball fell behind early and could not close the gap, losing to Whitworth University 76-58 in Northwest Conference action Friday evening at Whitworth Fieldhouse.

THE BASICS

Whitworth 76, Lewis & Clark 58
Lewis & Clark (6-16, 3-10 NWC)
Whitworth (5-17, 4-9 NWC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

First-year Ali McCauley led the River Otters with 13 points off the bench, and fellow first-year Lilly Jordan added 10 as two of six Lewis & Clark players who scored at least five points.

McCauley scored her 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting. She collected three rebounds and two assists without committing a turnover.

Jordan finished 3-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line.

First-year Hailey Perez contributed nine points with two steals, and sophomore Kaitlen Carns added seven points while drawing a team-high eight free-throw attempts.

Lewis & Clark trailed from the start as Whitworth shot 58.8 percent from the field and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from 3-point range in the first quarter. The River Otters stayed within striking distance early when senior Tatiana Rebanal converted a layup to give Lewis & Clark its only lead at 4-3, but the Pirates scored the next seven points and never trailed again. Whitworth's Addyson Gallatin scored 13 first-quarter points, and the Pirates carried a 26-16 lead into the second period.

The deficit grew to 33-16 early in the second quarter before Lewis & Clark found its footing. Perez scored on a driving layup, and McCauley converted a mid-range jumper and a driving layup to trim the margin to 10, 39-29, with 1:16 remaining. The River Otters trailed 41-29 at halftime.

Perez opened the third quarter with a jumper to pull Lewis & Clark within 10, and junior Divinity Singleton later buried a 3-pointer to make it 44-36. Whitworth responded with a 19-4 run to push the lead to 23 by the end of the period.

Lewis & Clark won the fourth quarter 18-13. Singleton opened with a 3-pointer, and McCauley scored seven fourth-quarter points, including a 3-pointer and two pull-up jumpers. Jordan added a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 24 with 4:31 remaining. The River Otters closed the game on an 8-0 run over the final three minutes, with Rebanal, Carns and first-year Lillian Morlan each reaching the free-throw line.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Carns went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. She has made 40 of her last 42 free-throw attempts over the past five games.
• Junior DJ Kendrick led Lewis & Clark with six rebounds and two assists.
• Lewis & Clark's bench outscored Whitworth's reserves 30-19. McCauley, Jordan and first-year Ky Roussin (five points) combined for 28 of those points.
• Junior Divinity Singleton finished with six points, two rebounds and two steals.
• Lewis & Clark forced 21 Whitworth turnovers and converted them into 16 points.

UP NEXT

Lewis & Clark travels to Walla Walla to take on Whitman College on Saturday at 3 p.m.