SPOKANE, Wash. – Led by the first triple double for Whitworth men's basketball since 2009, the Pirates rolled to a 146-110 win over Greenville in the opener of the Whitworth Tip Off Classic, presented by Quality Inn Oakwood on Friday night.
Jordan Lester posted 18 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Pirates (1-0). Whitworth set records for most points in a game, most field goals and most assists. They missed tying the record for most rebounds by a single board. The last triple double was by Calvin Jurich against George Fox in January of 2009.
Greenville's pressure defense gave the Pirates fits in the first six minutes as the Panthers (0-1) jumped to a 20-13 lead on a jumper by Romello Ball. Jojo Anderson's breakaway layup tied the game at 26-26. Liam Fitzgerald's dunk gave the Bucs a 32-30 lead, one it would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Once the Pirates found their footing against the press, their offense excelled. Whitworth had ten turnovers in the first eight minutes, 18 by halftime. But the Bucs went on to score 70 points in the opening half, while making 75% (33-44) of their shots – most of them easy finishes at the basket. Meanwhile the Pirates were holding the Panthers to 32.7% (17-52) in the opening half and outrebounding Greenville 30-18.
Whitworth was not threatened in the second half, opening a lead of 116-17 (45 points) on Jerry Twenge's three-pointer midway through the period. The Bucs only had ten turnovers after halftime.
Eight Pirates would reach double figures in scoring, led by 18 each from Lester and Fitzgerald. Miguel Lopez nearly posted his own triple double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Wyatt Walker came off the bench to go 3-3 from three point range and finish with a career-high 15 points. Every Pirate player who suited up for the game scored a point.
Whitworth finished the game with a field goal percentage of 68.4 (65-95). The Pirates dished 47 assists, surpassing the record of 41 set against Pacific (Ore.) during the 2018-19 season. Whitworth dominated the boards 67-39, just missing the school record of 68 against Puget Sound Christian in 1987-88.
Kenneth Cooley scored a game-high 31 points for Greenville, while Everett Campbell scored 17 and Cam Irvin had 15, both off the bench. The Panthers finished the game making 38.5% (40-104) from the field.
The previous school record for points in a game was 143 against Concordia-Chicago, set in 2018-19. The record for field goals was 57 against Northwest University during the 1987-88 season.
Whitworth will play Redlands (Calif.) on Saturday in its second Tip Off Classic contest.
