SPOKANE, Wash. – Jake Holtz led five Pirates in double figures with 19 points and seven rebounds as Whitworth shot 61% from the field to cruise past Willamette 101-71 in its Northwest Conference opener on Friday night.
Jojo Anderson added 16, Garrett Long scored 15 as they beat Willamette for the seventh consecutive game (the 24th win in the last 25 meetings), hitting the century mark in the process.
Ryder Hsiung led Willamette (2-5 overall, 0-1 NWC) with 14 points in 28 minutes.
Whitworth (4-1 overall, 1-0 NWC) was tremendous from the floor connecting on 64% of their first half shots, yet the Bearcats hung around early thanks to eight offensive rebounds leading to 10 second chance points. The first half boasted eleven lead changes before Whitworth took control with a 14-4 run late in the half.
Anderson knocked down a pair of jumpers, Carson Talbert finished an electric dunk in transition to spark the crowd before Holtz finished an and-one on the following possession, and the Pirates led 49-38 at half.
"After the first 16 minutes or so I thought we settled in defensively and showed a lot of improvement there," said coach Damion Jablonski, "You face a team that's heavy drive and sometimes with two to the ball it leaves people open on the boards, so that was obviously the negative we had to address."
The Pirates' attack did not slow down.
Whitworth opened a 71-48 lead eight minutes into the half, knocking down 9-13 shots during a 22-10 run. Anderson, Menard, and Talbert all converted three-point plays as Whitworth distanced themselves.
Garrett Long knocked down back-to-back jumpers to cap a 12-3 run for Whitworth late to give them a 33-point lead, and 13 players saw the floor for the Pirates in the scoring avalanche.
"I think our guys play unselfishly. We've proven to have a lot of offensive threats," said Jablonski. "We've said for a long time here that tradition never graduates. We've got a deep, talented team and guys that are ready to step up when their time comes."
Whitworth has beat Willamette by 23 or more points in five of their last six meetings.
Willamette will look to bounce back in another road test against Whitman on Saturday, the Pirates will look to stay in the win column as they host Pacific.
