Variety pays off for L-C; Warriors push past Whitman in second half, prevail 69-60
Copyright of The Lewiston Morning Tribune

By MATT BANEY
OF THE TRIBUNE

Matched against a sleek squad from Whitman College, the Lewis-Clark State women went with a gumbo game plan Saturday night.

Ashley Baker provided the height. Cami Kalbfleisch delivered satisfying passes. Jade Fulbright chipped in spicy steals. And Nikki Haerling added a dash of clutch play.

The recipe was a success. LCSC conked the Missionaries 69-60 in the de facto championship of the American West Bank Tournament at Warrior Gym.

Considering their opponent -- Whitman entered this game 5-1 after upsetting Carroll, the NAIA's No. 16 team, the night before -- this is one of the Warriors' most impressive wins of the season.

L-C (9-4) focused its offense on Baker, the 6-foot-3 post, and she came through with 19 points. But numerous other players helped carry the load.

The first half ended in a tie, and Whitman scooted to a quick six-point edge after the break. But over a six-minute span, LCSC outscored the Missionaries 12-0 to capture the lead for good.

It was a colorful burst. Haerling and Kendra West both canned 3-pointers, Fulbright and Leah McCauley connected on floating jumpers and Katie Hart climaxed the flurry with a twirling layup on a 2-on-4 fastbreak. (That was two Warriors against four Missionaries, but that didn't slow Hart.)

L-C fended off a Whitman push down the stretch, and Haerling was the key figure. With the Warriors up six, the Missionaries' Lizzy Washburn stole a cross-court pass and blazed to the hoop. But Haerling planted herself in front of the paint and took a charge.

"I thought one of the biggest plays of the game was when (Haerling) drew the charge," L-C coach Brian Orr said. "... She sprinted to the spot, got her feet set and took it. She's really good at that."

Haerling then went 3-for-4 from the line in the final minute.

The Missionaries' starting lineup topped out with 5-foot-11 Sarah Laird, and they stuck with man-to-man defense most of the night. So Baker had dominion over the paint, and she tossed in 11 of her points in the first half.

Whitman usually fronted the sophomore, so L-C lobbed passes over the defense. Kalbfleisch was the most successful feeder of the post.

Baker "had 19 points tonight, and Cami had six assists," Orr said. "I swear 12 of Ashley's points came off those assists."

The Warriors' defensive effort was highlighted by Fulbright, who nabbed five steals. Four of those thefts came on cross-court passes that gave the freshman from Wenatchee a clear path to the basket.

But Fulbright had a bit of trouble cashing in those breakaways. She missed two of the layups and was called for traveling when she got her feet tangled with a defender. (On one of the misses, Hart was on the scene to slip in a putback.)

"I guess it's just all the pressure and you're hustling and you just want to make it so bad," Fulbright said. "Thank goodness for Katie."

While this was a pleasing outing for the Warriors, both Fulbright and Orr said the team can improve.

"I'd rate it at probably like seven (out of 10)," Fulbright said. "Even though we did really well, I know we can do so much better. We have the potential to be great."

"In terms of team improvement, teams are usually about 80 or 90 percent after Christmas break," Orr said. "We're a long ways away from that. I think our ceiling for improvement is still pretty high, and that's exciting."

NOTES -- Baker was named the MVP of this tournament while Fulbright made the all-tournament team. The other recognized players were Whitman's Washburn and Katie Patneaude; Carroll's Emili Woody; and William Jessup's Taryn White.

WHITMAN (5-2)

Washburn 3-7 3-5 9, Laird 5-11 0-0 11, Patneaude 5-8 2-2 13, Higgens 3-5 0-0 8, Vertatschitch 2-8 0-2 5, Sprague 2-7 0-0 5, Stephenson 1-3 2-2 4, Francis 1-3 0-0 3, Krumdieck 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 23-56 7-11 60.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE (9-4)

Kalbfleisch 2-8 0-0 6, K. West 3-8 0-0 7, Baker 6-14 7-10 19, Haerling 3-13 3-4 10, Fulbright 4-7 0-0 8, Hart 3-4 0-0 6, Wittmer 1-4 0-0 2, Yancheva 1-1 0-0 3, West 0-2 0-0 0, McCauley 4-6 0-1 8. Totals 27-67 10-15 69.

Halftime score -- WC 35, LCSC 35. Three-point goals -- WC 7-21 (Laird 1-5, Patneaude 1-2, Higgens 2-3, Vertatschitch 1-5, Sprague 1-3, Francis 1-2, Krumdieck 0-1); LCSC 5-14 (Kalbfleisch 2-5, K. West 1-2, Haerling 1-4, Wittmer 0-2, Yancheva 1-1). Rebounds -- WC 34 (Washburn, Stephenson 6); LCSC 43 (Baker 11). Assists -- WC 13 (Sprague 3); LCSC 17 (Kalbfleisch 6). Total fouls -- WC 18; LCSC 16. Technical fouls -- none. Fouled out -- Washburn.