SPOKANE, Wash. – JoJo Anderson scored a career-high 33 points and nine rebounds as the Pirates leaned on a fast start to hold off Northwest 95-83 on Tuesday in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
Whitworth put the game on ice with a 10-2 run in the final minutes after watching the Eagles shrink a 26-point first half lead down to just six. Garrett Long and Ty Edwards scored seven of the 10 points in that run as Whitworth won its third straight.
The Pirates (3-1) exploded out of the gate to take a 41-15 lead late in the first half, Anderson led eight Pirate scorers with 14 during that stretch as Whitworth shot over 60% from the field throughout the first 15 minutes. Anderson contributed to 27 of the Pirates 47 points in the first half.
"JoJo was phenomenal tonight," said coach Damion Jablonski. "He made his presence felt everywhere on the court tonight, and his excellence was key for us."
Milton Burnett sparked a furious run from Northwest (1-4) late in the first half, knocking down threes on three consecutive possessions as part of a 20-6 run to end the half. Burnett led the Eagles with 26 points (including six threes) as they stayed close throughout.
"In that stretch we could have done a better job being locked in, staying in the moment. We've got to play a full forty minutes start to finish. No letting up even when it looks good," said Jablonski. "It gave them a lot of confidence going forward, and when you let a guy like that get going the bucket just gets really big all of a sudden."
The Pirates led for 39:13 and built their lead back to 17 in the second half, but Northwest threatened late in the second half as Burnett buried a corner three to cap a 13-2 run for the Eagles that drew the score to 68-62 with 9:34 to go. Northwest hit nine threes total to stay in the game while Whitworth shot just 4-19 from behind the arc.
With 4:34 to go the Pirates dealt a crucial blow with a five-point possession as Anderson knocked down two technical free throws before finding Jerry Twenge behind the arc to give Whitworth an 82-71 cushion.
Long, Holtz, Menard all scored in double figures with 16, 15, and 10 and were key contributors down the stretch as the Pirates preserved their third straight win.
Whitworth will begin conference play as it hosts Willamette and Pacific on Dec. 1 and 2nd. Northwest will be on the road at Lewis & Clark State College on Nov. 30.
