SPOKANE, Wash. – Jake Holtz scored 17 first half points to spark Whitworth to a big halftime lead on the way to a 73-51 win over visiting Muhlenberg College on Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The Pirates improved to 6-5 with the victory in their final non-conference game on the schedule.  The Mules (7-3), from Allentown, Pa., went 1-1 on their Eastern Washington road trip after defeating Whitman on Thursday in Walla Walla.

Whitworth never trailed, jumping out to a 6-0 lead as Muhlenberg missed its first five shots.  Michael Smith's basket gave the Bucs their first double digit lead (15-5).  Charlie Gillikin hit consecutive three-pointers to get the Mules back within 19-14, but Whitworth answered with a 13-2 run to open a 32-16 advantage on a layup by Ty Edwards.  Sullivan Menard's three-pointer increased the Pirate margin to 40-18 and Whitworth took a 42-20 lead into the break.  Holtz made 8 of 10 from the floor in the first half, sparking the Pirates to a team shooting percentage of 62% in the first 20 minutes.  Muhlenberg made only 8 of 36 shots (22.2%).

Trailing 53-32, the Mules used a 7-0 run to get within 53-39 on a three-pointer by Luke Gordos with 10:14 to play.  Whitworth outscored Muhlenberg 11-0 over the next five minutes to open a 64-39 lead that put the game away.

Holtz finished with a game-high 22 points off the bench for the Pirates.  Smith added 14 and four assists, while Rowan Anderson scored 10.  JT McDermott and Jerry Twenge grabbed nine rebounds apiece as Whitworth finished with a 48-30 edge on the boards.  The Bucs cooled off in the second half, but still finished the game 31-58 (53.4%) from the floor.

Dan Gaines was the only Muhlenberg player in double figures with 11 points.  Giovani Rubino had eight points and six rebounds.  The Mules finished the game 20-67 (29.9%) from the field.

Whitworth will return to Northwest Conference play on Friday when the Pirates host Lewis & Clark College at 8:00 pm as part of a women's-men's doubleheader.