SPOKANE, Wash. – JT McDermott and Garrett Paxton combined for 50 points to lead 20th-ranked Whitworth to a 93-77 win over visiting Puget Sound in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night.
McDermott (27 points) and Paxton (23 points) were a perfect inside-outside combination for the Pirates, who bounced back from their first conference loss of the season to improve to 10-2 overall, 3-1 in the NWC. McDermott made 11 of 14 shots from the floor, while Paxton went 7-11 from beyond the arc.
The Loggers (7-7, 2-3 NWC) took an early 7-4 lead on Paul Johnson's three-pointer. Rowan Anderson answered with a three for the Pirates. Trailing 9-7, Paxton made back to back threes to spark a 13-0 run for the Bucs and Whitworth never trailed again. Paxton hit three treys in the run. Puget Sound cut the margin to 24-19 on Grant Erickson's layup, but Paxton hit two straight three-pointers again to cap another run that extended the lead to 34-21. Paxton finished the first half with 15 points, going 5-8 from beyond the arc, guiding Whitworth to a 42-29 lead at the break.
The Pirates started going inside to McDermott in the second half, making eight of their first 10 shots from the floor. McDermott scored five of those buckets, including a pair of threes himself, to spark a 14-3 run that gave Whitworth a 56-32 lead three minutes into the period. The Pirates eventually led by as many as 30 points (82-52) with just over eight minutes left in the game. Whitworth made 64% (18-28) of its baskets after halftime, including 50% (5-10) from three-point range.
The scoring totals for both McDermott and Paxton were career-highs. McDermott surpassed his previous high of 23 points in a win over Whitman on December 7th. Paxton's previous best was 22 points in a win at Willamette on December 4th.
Miguel Lopez was the third Pirate player in double figures with 10 points. Whitworth finished the game 34-63 (54%) from the floor and 11-26 (42.3%) from beyond the arc. The Pirates outrebounded the Loggers 37-30, led by seven boards by Liam Fitzgerald. Rowan Anderson and Jojo Anderson each dished four of Whitworth's 13 assists.
Johnson led the Loggers with 20 points, while Erickson finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Puget Sound went 32-66 (48.5%) from the floor, 7-21 (33.3%) from three-point range.
Whitworth will host first place Pacific Lutheran on Saturday at 6:00 pm.
