Box Score

SALEM, Ore. – Whitworth dominated both ends of the floor in a 104-64 Northwest Conference men's basketball win at Willamette on Friday night at Cone Fieldhouse.

The Pirates (11-5 overall, 6-1 NWC) got their sixth straight win by shooting 57% from the field and 40% from three-point range.  The Bearcats fell to 5-10, 1-6.

Willamette scored the first basket of the game. Whitworth scored the next seven points, capped by Jerry Twenge's three-pointer, and never trailed again.  The Bucs used another 7-0 run to turn a 16-10 lead into a 23-10 advantage and continued to extend the lead throughout the half. A Rowan Anderson three-pointer gave Whitworth its first 20-point lead at 34-14 with 8:39 left.  Stephen Behil hit a three-pointer and Jake Holtz made a pair of free throws to give the Pirates their largest lead of the half (56-30) before the Bearcats made one free throw with one second to play in the period.

Whitworth made 23-38 (60.5%) from the floor in the first half, including 6 of 14 (43%) from three-point range.  The Bucs dominated the backboards 24-16 and only turned the ball over three times.  Whitworth held Willamette to 11-32 (34%) from the floor, including 2 of 10 from beyond the arc.

The Pirates continued to pull away in the second half, opening their first 30-point lead (68-38) on a Holtz layup.  Whitworth was able to play deep into the bench for the majority of the second period and stretched the margin.  Diego Jaques converted a three-point play for an 81-45 lead and Carson Talbert followed with a basket.  The Pirates finished the game with 64 points off the bench.

Fourteen different players scored for Whitworth, led by Holtz (17) and JT McDermott (16).  Talbert had ten off the bench.  They were the only three Bucs in double figures as the Pirates shared the ball well with 22 assists on 42 made shots.  McDermott and Anderson dished five apiece.  Holtz led the Pirates with seven rebounds.

Whitworth ended the game 42-73 from the floor, 10-25 from beyond the arc.  The Pirates outrebounded the Bearcats 48-31.  The margin was the Bucs' largest of the season.

Mitch Lind scored 13 and Jack Boydell had 12 for Willamette.  Boydell came into the game as the NWC's leading scorer at 21.6 points per game, but was a focus of the Whitworth defense.  The Bearcats finished the game 23-64 (36%) from the floor, 4-20 (20%) from three-point range. 

The Pirates will look to complete a sweep of the Oregon weekend at Linfield on Saturday night.