SPOKANE, Wash. – JT McDemott scored 21 points in his final game at the Whitworth Fieldhouse and Jake Holtz posted a double-double to lead the Pirates to a 98-75 win over visiting Willamette in the Northwest Conference men's basketball regular season finale for both teams on Saturday night.

Whitworth (16-9 overall, 11-5 NWC) will play Puget Sound in the NWC tournament semifinals on Friday at regular season champion Whitman.  The Pirates and Loggers finished tied for second place in the standtings.

The first 15 minutes of the game were competitive as Willamette (5-19, 1-15) scored the first five points of the game.  The Bearcats led 12-8 following a basket by Gavin Rippere and 18-14 after a short jumper by Mitch Lind.  Whitworth scored the next 13 points, including 11 combined by McDermott and Holtz, to go ahead 27-18.  But Willamette fought back to get back within 30-28 on another basket by Rippere with just under six minutes to play.  The Pirates closed the first half with a flourish, outscoring the Bearcats 21-4 the rest of the way for a 59-32 lead at the break.

Whitworth continued to pull away over the first 10 minutes of the second period.  Ty Edwards hit a three-pointer and then converted a three-point play to extend the margin to 66-38.  Sullivan Menard's three-pointer made the score 81-47 and Stephen Behil's trey gave the Pirates their largest lead of the game at 88-49 (39 points) with 10:04 to play.  The lead remained in the 30's until the final four minutes, when Willamette cut the margin against Whitworth's bench.

McDermott finished with six rebounds and four assists to go with his 21 points, nearly half of which came at the free throw line (10).  Holtz came off the bench for 20 points and 11 boards, his second double-double of the season.  Menard had 16 points off the bench and Edwards finished with a dozen points, both career-high totals.  Rowan Anderson was the fifth Pirate in double figures (11). 

Whitworth made 32 of 67 (48%) after spending most of the game in the mid-50's until the final four minutes.  The Pirates were 12 of 27 (44.4%) from three-point range.  Whitworth finished with a 47-30 advantage in rebounds.

Rippere finished with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Willamette.  Ryder Hsiung scored 13 and Josiah Frank added a dozen.

Whitworth swept the season series against the Bearcats.