PORTLAND, Ore. – The Multnomah University women's basketball team came up against a tough Whitman College team that dealt MU a 73-52 loss at home on Tuesday night.
 
Whitman, an NCAA DIII school who was projected to finish second in the Northwest Conference standings this season, shot an impressive 56 percent from the field while going 11-for-14 from the free throw line.
 
For the Lions, who shot 31 percent on the night, Bethany George led the way with 11 points followed by Milan Woods with 10 points and two steals.
 
"We really struggled in transition defensively tonight and that ended up writing the result," said head coach Tim Bieri. "Besides that, I thought our effort was strong against a very tough Whitman team."
 
The Missionaries were led by Chelsi Brewer who finished 9-of-12 from the field for 21 points while Emily Rommel totaled 11 points with eight rebounds and five blocks.
 
The Lions kept things close in the first quarter of action. Trailing 20-13, MU fought back to within four points before Sadie Jenks hit a three-pointer with seconds remaining to end the quarter with a score of 22-19.
 
Whitman, who outrebounded the Lions 43-28 and scored 20 points off turnovers, collected 19 points in the second quarter while holding the Lions to only six to break away for the remainder of the game.
 
"These non-league games have been a grind and I'm confident that it will positively translate into our conference play in a few weeks," continued Bieri.
 
Jenks and Miranda Schmillen each added eight points for MU while Lacie Kamper ended the game with six points and a team high six rebounds.
 
The Lions return to action on Sunday as they play an exhibition game at Eastern Washington University.