Box Score SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth survived a determined effort by visiting Lewis & Clark in a key Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night, winning 68-60 in overtime.
The Pirates overcame a huge disparity in rebounding and improved to 16-2 overall and 9-0 in the NWC with their 15th straight win. The Pioneers saw their six-game winning streak come to an end and fell to 11-7, 6-3.
Kenny Love scored 21 of his game-high 24 points after halftime to help Whitworth survive to overtime. Then the Pirates outscored L&C 12-4 in the extra period with Christian Jurlina nailing a key three-pointer that gave Whitworth a 67-60 lead with 30 seconds left. Reserves Forrest Baker and Adam Wilks made big plays for the Pirates in overtime as well.
"We had to go to our bench in the overtime and Forrest and Adam made big energy plays for us, which gave us the momentum," said Whitworth head coach Matt Logie.
Baker came up with two big rebounds – one offensive and one defensive, while Wilks scored the first basket then a steal, breakaway and two free throws.
Whitworth was fortunate to get to overtime on a night when both teams were playing superb defense. The Pirates made only 40% of their shots from the field, while L&C made only 37.1%. Both teams also struggled from beyond the arc.
The Pirates were able to win despite the fact that the Pioneers finished with a 50-30 edge on the boards, including a 21-10 advantage in offensive rebounds. But Whitworth committed only four turnovers the entire game – and none after halftime – maximizing their offensive efficiency on a rough shooting night.
The Pirates made their first three three-pointers to jump out to a 19-8 lead in the early minutes. But L&C scored seven straight to get the momentum back and the teams went into halftime tied 23-23.
With the game tied 29-29 early in the second half, the Pioneers went on a 7-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 36-31 with 12:30 to play. Cannen Roberson scored five of his team-high 15 points during that spurt.
But Love scored twice as Whitworth answered with a 6-0 run to retake the lead. There were ten lead changes over the final ten minutes of the game before going to overtime.
Each team had a chance to win in regulation. Roberson could not convert two free throw opportunities with 27 seconds left and Love's driving attempt with four seconds left fell short, sending the game to OT tied 56-56.
Wilks scored the first basket of the overtime period and Jurlina scored on Whitworth's next possession for a 60-56 advantage 1:45 into the extra time. Then Wilks came away with a steal near mid-court and was fouled in his attempt to score. He hit both free throws for a six point lead.
L&C didn't score in overtime until Carl Appleton hit two free throws with 1:51 to play. But Taylor Farnsworth answered with a tough tip in off of an offensive rebound. After Appleton scored again for the Pioneers with just over a minute left, Whitworth worked the shot clock down to the end before Love found Jurlina open at the top of the key and Jurlina made the game-clinching three-pointer.
"Kenny had that look in his eye tonight and he did a terrific job attacking the basket," Logie said. "He then found CJ for the big shot in overtime and Christian is a clutch player when the chips are on the line."
Love made 7-18 shots from the floor, but went 9-9 from the free throw line for his 24 points. Jurlina finished with 17 points, while Farnsworth tallied 12 points and a team-high seven boards.
Roberson finished with 15 points before fouling out in OT. Appleton had a huge game, also scoring 15 points and pulling down 18 rebounds to lead the Pioneers' dominating effort on the boards.
Whitworth will finish the weekend by hosting Willamette on Saturday, while Lewis & Clark travels to Whitman.
