Ronnie Anderson

Women’s Basketball: Wolves Show Massive Improvement Against Knights

12/17/2017 9:41:00 AM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Portland, Ore. – Walla Walla finished out their back-to-back games against Warner Pacific on Saturday night in rousing fashion. The Lady Wolves lost, but showed huge improvement, losing by only 9 points after a 30-point blowout the day before.

Wolves vs. Knights, December 16

After a pair of free-throws put the Wolves ahead to start the game, Darbi Pink answered back with a three-pointer to take back a lead they would never give up. The Knights jumped out quickly to an 11-2 lead over Walla Walla. The Wolves did bounce back, and after a layup from Alyssa Blankenship, were down only two points. Warner Pacific went into the second quarter with a 20-16 but it appeared the Wolves had all the momentum.

Through the first five minutes of the second quarter, the score remained tight, with Walla Walla answering every time the Knights scored. But the Wolves went cold and the Knights picked up the pace as the quarter when on, nailing three's and building a 16 point lead going into halftime.

The Knights shot 61.5% from three-point range in the second half, and outscored the Wolves by 14 points. Walla Walla was not able to take advantage of their open looks, shooting only 28.6% from deep over the final 20 minutes. Grace Prom led the Knights in scoring, with 19 points, including 5 of 8 from the 3-pt line. Walla Walla's Sarah Halversen was the teams leading scorer with 14 points, and Alyssa Blankenship, Michaela Garcia, and Carolina Montes all finished in double figures. Alyssa had team highs in rebounding with 8 and assists with 4.

Wolves vs. Knights, December 17

Right from the start this game looked like it was going to be a battle. The Wolves jumped out to a 5-2 lead after a three-pointer from Alyssa Blankenship. Warner Pacific came right back and after back to back threes they took a 10-7 lead over Walla Walla. Scoring was a struggle as both teams played excellent defense, however with 14 seconds left on the clock, Carolina Montes drove the lane and put in a layup to give the Wolves a 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Walla Walla briefly lost the lead, but charged back with a 6-0 run to go up 23-18 after an Emily Downs jumper. Emily was money all night, going 7-8 from the field. Sarah Halversen hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to seven, the highest the Wolves would have, with 6:25 on the clock. After a defensive adjustment by Warner Pacific, they made their comeback, storming out with a 10-2 run to tie things up at 27. Walla Walla had good looks from deep, but struggled to convert 3's, shooting 20% in the half. The Knights continued their run, and took a 41-32 lead into the half.

After a slow start to the second half for both teams, the Wolves slowly made their way back into the game, tying things up 45-45 after a made free throw from Lexi Ehlers. Warner Pacific's Darbi Pink scored five of the team's final seven points of the quarter, and the Knights went into the fourth with a 52-47 lead.

Things started out slow for Walla Walla in the fourth, and Warner Pacific stretched their lead to 11 points with just over eight minutes to go. The Lady Wolves refused to go away, and clawed back within four points after a made three-pointer by Alyssa Blankenship. But the story down the stretch was Warner's ability to make three's when they needed them. Sarah Halversen converted a pair of free-throws to cut the lead to eight points with 3:22 on the clock, but the Wolves were unable to get any closer, losing 75-66 after a hard fought battle.

Walla Walla's Sarah Halversen led all players in scoring with 24 points, including an incredible 13-13 from the free-throw line. Emily Downs, Alyssa Blankenship and Carolina Montes all finished in double figures for scoring. Sarah led the team with 10 rebounds, which made this game her first ever double-double. Darbi Pink lead Warner Pacific in scoring with 16 points.

Walla Walla is off for the holiday break until December 29, when they take on Eastern Oregon University at home.

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