PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark played their most competitive conference game of the season on Friday night in a back-and-forth contest with visiting Whitworth University. 
 
THE BASICS
Whitworth 55, Lewis & Clark 51 
(Lewis & Clark 1-9, Northwest Conference 0-3) 
(Whitworth 4-9, Northwest Conference 1-3) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
After falling behind 18-11 after the first quarter, Lewis & Clark outscored the visitors by six in the second quarter and never let the Pirates fully pull away. Even in the fourth,  the Pioneers trailed by as many as eight points, before a late flurry brought them within three points with 70 seconds to play. Alyssa Fitzgerald hit a clutch jumper with the shot clock running down and less than 20 seconds to play to extend the Pirates lead to 53-48 and the visitors held on for a 55-51 win. 
 
Senior Karli Mukai led three Lewis & Clark players in double-figures with 13 points. Mukai finished 5-13 from the field and knocked down three of the team's four 3-pointers (3-4). 
 
Senior Jamison Richards tacked on 11 points, two rebounds and one blocks. Freshman Kaela Guidry reached double-figures for the first time in her career. Guidry chipped in 10 points with four rebounds (three offensive) and a block. 
 
Freshman Lauryn Frederickson led the Pioneers with 10 rebounds and chipped in six points and two assists. Senior Charlotte Carroll added four points, eight rebounds, one block and one steal. 
 
Kimberly Dewey had a big game to lead Whitworth. The senior went off for a game-high 26 points and on 9-15 shooting and 4-6 from deep. Dewey added five rebounds and five assists. 
 
Freshman Zalissa Sanfo added a double-double of 10 points and 20 rebounds (five offensive). Sophomore Mya Edwards was the third player with more than four points. Edwards recorded nine points and nine rebounds. 
 
Whitworth opened the game on an 11-2 run over the opening 4.5 minutes. The Pioneers cut the deficit to five on back-to-back baskets from Guidry. After a jumper from Dewey, freshman Zoë Anderson scored on a drive to the basket and Richards added a free throw to make it a 13-9 game. Whitworth extended their advantage back to seven (18-11) at the end of the quarter. 
 
Lewis & Clark got back into the game in the second quarter thanks to their defense. The Pioneers held Whitworth without a made basket for the first 8:04 of the quarter and limited the visitors to 13 points in the stanza. 
 
The hosts took advantage as Lewis & Clark scored the first 10 points of the stanza to grab their first lead of the game at 21-18 (5:30 before halftime). Frederickson hit a pair of jumpers during the run and Natalie Elstone and Mukai each drained 3-pointers. 
 
Whitworth tied the game on three-straight free throws but Elstone and Mukai countered with back-to-back baskets to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at 25-21. The teams traded the lead over the final two minutes. Mukai gave Lewis & Clark a 30-29 edge on a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left, only for Edwards to hit a go-ahead jumper in the final few seconds. 
 
The Pioneers took the lead on the opening possession of the second half on a Richards jumper (32-31) but that would be their final lead of the contest. Whitworth responded with a 10-2 run thanks to back-to-back threes from Dewey and Sanfo. 
 
Lewis & Clark cut the deficit to three late in the quarter on a Richards 3-pointer (43-40) but went into the fourth trailing 46-40. 
 
Neither team could gain any offensive footing in the fourth quarter. Each team scored once in the opening three minutes and the score would stay at 48-42 until Edwards hit a layup with 3:28 to play (50-42). 
 
Lewis & Clark responded with a 6-1 run to get back within one possession. Carroll and Richards hit baskets to sandwich a Whitworth free throw and Richards added two free throws with 70 seconds to play to make it a 51-48 game. 
 
After Fitzgerald's jumper pushed the lead to five with 17 seconds left, the Pioneers missed a pair of shots and Edwards canned two free throws to make it a 55-48 game. Mukai drained a deep, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to account for the final score (55-51). 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark held a 24-12 edge in points in the paint and a 12-6 lead in bench points. 
• Madelyn Sanchez pulled down a career-high six rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench. 
• Mukai has now recorded 78 points in her six career games against Whitworth. Last year, she recorded a single-game, program-record 38 points against the Pirates on January 6. 
• The two teams combined for six lead changes and four ties.  
• Frederickson posted her third double-digit rebound game in as many conference contests. She's averaging 11.3 rebounds per game in conference which is third in the NWC. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will host defending Northwest Conference Tournament Champions Whitman College on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Blues come into the contest ranked #16 in the country.