Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. – Ian McCloskey scored 23 as UC Santa Cruz held off a late rally by Whitworth to win 65-63 on Saturday night, their first win over Whitworth in program history.

The Banana Slugs (5-6) were 0-12 versus the Pirates coming into the night but managed to hold off a furious comeback to finish off the road win.

Sullivan Menard led Whitworth (5-3 overall, 2-0 NWC) with 18 points including four threes, and Jake Holtz added 15 as the Pirates comeback attempt fell short.

With 5:45 remaining and Santa Cruz leading 58-45, Menard sparked a near-comeback with eight points. The guard buried back-to-back threes and a pair of free throws as Whitworth cut the deficit to 58-56 with 3:21 remaining.

Menard struck again drilling another pair of contested threes in the final minute, pulling Whitworth to 63-62 with 22 seconds to go. Menard was 4-5 from behind the arc in the final 5:45.

Whitworth had a chance to tie the game in the final possession following a pair of free throws from Zino Okah, but Ben Nyquist came up dry on his tying attempt as Whitworth lost its second straight non-conference game.

Whitworth trailed for 32:44 as they struggled to find their footing offensively for most of the night before catching fire in the final six minutes. The Pirates shot 22-59 from the field, 12-21 from the stripe.

Santa Cruz took the lead in the first half with an 11-0 run to go up 21-15, and they maintained that advantage into the break. JoJo Anderson, the Pirates' leading scorer, was held to one point on 0-3 from the field in the first half, and seven total on the night.

Four Banana Slugs scored in double figures; Keating, Okah, and Breznikar added 12, 10, and 10 to aid McCloskey.

UCSC will host Puget Sound on Dec. 18, the Pirates will travel to play Dubuque and Knox on Dec. 21-22.