EVANSTON, Ill.- The Western Illinois women's basketball team used 50 percent shooting from behind the three-point line to defeat Holy Cross, 64-55, in its final game of The Doubletree White Invitational at Welsh-Ryan Arena on the campus of Northwestern University.

Leading by two with just under seven minutes to play, the Westerwinds (2-4) went on a 10-3 run that would give them a nine-point lead at 58-49 with 3:02 left to play in the game. The run featured three-pointers from both junior Katy Clark and senior Amanda Walker, along with four straight free throws from senior Nicole Myers.

A pair of Walker free throws gave Western a 10-point lead with 39 seconds left to play. The Crusaders (1-5) were unable to cut the lead within eight as a free throw from junior Jordon O'Brien finished the scoring, giving the Westerwinds the 64-55 win.

After the two teams split a pair of three-pointers to open the game, the Westerwinds used a Walker jumper, a free throw from Myers, and back-to-back three-pointers from freshman Katie Horsman and Clark to rattle off a 9-0 run, taking a 12-3 lead in the process with 11:18 left in the opening half. During the run, Western held Holy Cross off the scoreboard for nearly six minutes.

An 11-3 run, capped off by a bucket by Walker from beyond the three-point line, gave the Westerwinds their largest lead of the game of 13 at 26-13 with 3:42 left before halftime.

A pair of free throws from Brianna McFadden and two three-pointers from Bethany O'Dell cut the Western lead to six points at 27-21 with 33 second left in the first half. Clark answered with a three-pointer of her own with 14 seconds left on the clock, giving the Westerwinds a 30-21 lead heading into the break.

After the teams traded three-pointers to open the second half, Holy Cross rallied off an 11-2 run to cut the lead to just one point at 40-39 with 11:18 left in the game. Western pushed its lead back out to six points after a jumper from Clark, a three-pointer from Clark and a lay-up by freshman Lyndi Thorman, giving it a 47-41 lead with 8:24 left on the clock.

Walker lead the team in scoring for the fourth straight game with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including hitting 6-of-8 shots from behind the arc. She also grabbed seven boards and dished out a team-high six assists. The 22-point performance fell just five shy of her career record of 27 against Chicago State in the 2006-07 season.

Clark passed her career high in points by five, dropping 16 points against the Crusaders, thanks to hitting 4-of-6 shots from downtown. Horsman chipped in eight points, while Myers scored six and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

As a team, the Westerwinds shot 50 percent (13-26) from behind the three-point line. Walker and Clark counted for 10 of the team's 13 three-pointers made.

After averaging 17 points per game in the two games during The Doubletree White Invitational, Walker was named to the all-invitational team.

Western returns home to host in-state rival Illinois State Wednesday, December 3, at 7 p.m. at Waste Management Court at Western Hall.

Postgame Notes
The Westerwinds out-rebounded the Crusaders, 40-26, including a 15-7 edge on the offensive boards.

Walker's six assists tied a career-high, a mark that she has recorded four other times in her career.

Senior Rasheena Salter set a new career record in rebounds with three.

All of Myers' six points came from the free throw line, tying the highest amount of free throws that she has hit in a single game.

Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Leslie Crane
On getting the second win of the season
"It's a great feeling to finally get this second win of the season. This team took giant steps, not only in this game, but in the entire weekend. We're starting to play together as a team and more efficiently. We didn't let down the entire game and we finally out-rebounded someone, which was the difference maker today. It was just a total team effort."

On three-point shooting
"Clark and Walker were on fire from three and even Horsman joined in with a couple of three's of her own. We really played with desire and intensity. We moved Amanda to the three-spot tonight and she really did great things tonight."