LACEY, Wash. - Sophomore guard Hannah Whitsett scored a career-high 22 points and the Western Oregon women's basketball team never trailed in their 59-53 victory over Saint Martin's Thursday, Dec. 30, maintaining the top spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.

The Wolves improve to 5-6 (3-0) with the win, its first over SMU since Jan. 25, 2007. SMU drops to 6-5 (1-2) with the loss. Western's 3-0 GNAC start is the program's best in the conference's ten-year history.

Whitsett (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston) notched a career-high 22 points off the bench for WOU. She connected on six of 12 three-pointers, also a career-high. Junior forward Rylee Peterson (Newport, Ore./Newport) scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Senior forward Sara Zahler (Newberg, Ore./Newberg) added eight points.

"It was great to see Hannah out there hitting big shots again," WOU head coach Greg Bruce said. "Her scoring was the key for us. I also thought Rylee played a great game, especially defensively. Her effort was great to see."

The Wolves would come out of the gates hot, scoring the first 12 points of the game and holding SMU scorless until the 13:32 mark of the first half. The Saints were 0-for-10 from the field and committed five turnovers in that span. Saint Martin's would trim WOU's lead to one with 7:50 remaining in the opening period, but Western would respond with a jumper from Zahler and a trey from Whitsett to go up by six with 5:25 to play. SMU would limit the Wolves to just one field goal over the remaining minutes as they tied the game at 22 going into the locker room.

After halftime, three three-pointers, two by Whitsett and one by Zahler, and a jumper by Peterson would increase WOU's lead to seven with 16:24 remaining, but SMU would come roaring back once again, trailing 45-46 with 5:35 left to play. They would get no closer, however, as the Wolves would turn the ball over just three times and grab five offensive rebounds over the final minutes to close out the game.

"There were a few times tonight where we could have crumbled," Bruce continued. "We were really scrappy tonight and played with a lot of heart. We kept hustling, and I thought our defense was incredible."

Western shot 48.0-percent (12-25) from the field and 45.5-percent (5-11) from three-point range in the second half. SMU failed to shoot better than 30-percent for the game, the fourth time this season a WOU opponent has shot worse than 30-percent. The Wolves snagged 11 offensive rebounds, the second straight game, and third in the last four, in which they have pulled down more than ten offensive boards. They also forced SMU into 26 turnovers, the sixth time this year an opponent has turned it over more than 20 times against Western.

Saint Martin's had four players in double-figures. Senior guard Roni Jo Mielke was their leading scorer with 14 points, and senior forward Kellie Snyder recorded 10 points and a game-high 17 caroms. Senior forward Dara Zack managed just ten points on 3-of-11 shooting.

The Wolves will travel for two GNAC games next week, at Simon Fraser on Thursday, Jan. 6, and at Western Washington on Saturday, Jan. 8. The two games tip off at 7:00 pm and 3:00 pm, respectively.

NOTES
Whitsett's 22 points marks the second time this season she has set a career high. She scored 15 points earlier this season against Simpson . . . Peterson's 13-point, 12-rebound effort was her third double-double of the season . . . The last time Western beat Saint Martin's in Lacey was during the 1992-93 season . . . SMU's Dara Zack's ten points were the fewest she scored against Western since Feb. 9, 2008 . . . Whitsett outscored SMU's bench 22-14. WOU outscored SMU's bench 30-14.