SPOKANE, Wash. – Coming off their first Northwest Conference setbacks of the season, the Whitworth Pirates play at Whitman College on Tuesday (8:00 pm) tied for first with the Blues in the Northwest Conference men's basketball standings. Later in the week Whitworth will host Lewis & Clark College on Saturday (6:00 pm). Both games are scheduled as the second halves of women's-men's doubleheaders and can be heard live in Spokane on KSBN 1230 am and on the internet at KSBN.net.
Check the Whitworth men's basketball schedule for other live links to this week's games.
Tickets: Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Fieldhouse for all fans. Tickets can be purchased in advance using the Hometown Ticketing App. Follow the Tickets link on the schedule for access. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Whitworth students, as well as faculty and staff, get free admission by using an ID number.
The Pirates: Whitworth (12-7 overall, 8-2 NWC) struggled on the road in Oregon, dropping both games last weekend. The losses ended the Pirates' 8-0 start in conference play and seven-game winning streak.
Pacific University played its best half of the season in the first 20 minutes of last Friday's 89-74 victory over Whitworth in Forest Grove, Oregon, making 61.3% of its shots and 5-6 (83%) from three-point range to open a 43-34 halftime advantage. The Boxers made seven of their first eight from behind the arc in the game and Whitworth led only 2-0 early before Pacific took over. Sullivan Menard scored a career-high 29 points, while Stephen Behil came off the bench for a season-high 15 points. The pair combined for 11 three-pointers for the Pirates. Jojo Anderson added 10 points and four assists. Pacific ended a 12-game losing streak to Whitworth that dated to Jan. 6, 2017.
Whitworth appeared to have righted the ship on Saturday night at Willamette, opening a pair of 14-point leads in the first half, including a 30-16 advantage with just under seven minutes left. The Bearcats rallied to within 37-34 at halftime and went on to defeat the Pirates 85-78, pulling away from a one-possession game with free throws in the final minute. Whitworth made 52.5% of its shots but allowed Willamette to make 54%. Jake Holtz scored 20 points, while Ty Edwards added a career-high 18 points and dished four assists. Anderson also scored 18 and Menard finished with 11 points. With the win, the Bearcats ended a seven-game losing streak to the Pirates.
The Opponents: Whitman comes into Tuesday's game the hottest team in the conference. The Blues (14-5 overall, 8-2 NWC) have won seven games in a row, including wins last weekend over the same two schools that defeated Whitworth. Head coach John Lamanna, in his fourth season, has Whitman in the hunt for a second straight regular season league title. A big reason for that is senior guard Jai Deshpande, who leads the NWC in scoring average (19.5 ppg), three-point percentage (48.5%) and three-pointers made per game (2.5). Fellow guard Ali Efe Isik (So.) adds 14.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounds (5.9 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg). Whitworth defeated Whitman 76-69 in Spokane on January 2nd, thanks to 22 points by Jake Holtz and 21 from Sullivan Menard.
Lewis & Clark College is 6-13 overall and 2-8 in the NWC heading into its Friday night game at Whitman. The Pioneers won 78-63 at Linfield last Friday and nearly knocked off George Fox on the road before falling 96-94 on Saturday. Head coach Tim McCrory is in his sixth season leading the Pioneers, who average 75.9 points per game, while allowing 76.3 points per contest. Guard Mikey Medlock Jr. and forward Isaac Ticeson, both juniors, are the only L&C players averaging double figures. They score 11.6 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. However, the Pioneers are very balanced, with six players averaging at least eight points per game. Whitworth defeated L&C 90-75 in Portland on January 5th, scoring 53 points in the second half and getting 20 points from Jojo Anderson.
No Holtz Barred: Jake Holtz seems to do everything for the Pirates in 2023-24. He averages 15.8 points per game, which is currently second on the team and ranks fifth in the NWC. He also leads the Pirates in rebounding (6.4 per game, fifth in the NWC) and steals (29). He is making 56.5% of his field goal attempts (fourth in the NWC). Holtz has 969 points as a Pirate and is on pace to become the latest Whitworth player to reach 1,000 for a career.
Welcome Back Jojo: Jojo Anderson's return to action in 2023-24 has been as hoped-for by Pirate fans. He leads the team lead in scoring average (16.8 points per game, third in the NWC) and scored a career-high 33 points in a win over Northwest University on November 21st, the fifth-highest single game total in the NWC this season. He's made 47.6% of his field goals and leads the team in assists per game (2.7). The guard from nearby Mt. Spokane HS missed the 2022-23 season with an injury.
Jerry, As Needed: Jerry Twenge, in his fifth year as a Pirate, averages 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Twenge has stepped up in a variety of ways throughout his Whitworth career., at different times leading the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. His latest highlight was the game-winning basket vs. Pacific on December 2nd with 1.4 seconds to play.
The Long Road Home: Sullivan Menard's road to Whitworth was a long one. A Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school senior in Alaska, Menard initially went to NCAA Div. I DePaul (Ill.) before transferring to Western Wyoming CC, where he suffered a season-ending knee injury that prevented him from playing the 2021-22 season in Spokane. Now Menard averages 14.4 points per game and leads the team in three-pointers (47, 37.6%). He adds 5.1 rebounds per contest. Menard is also a member of the Pirates' men's golf team.
Last Win vs. Ranked Team: Prior to the 74-71 win over 15th-ranked Elmhurst on December 30th, the Pirates' last victory over a ranked opponent was an 85-64 victory over St. Thomas (Minn.) in the Fieldhouse on Nov. 16, 2019.
Been a While: From Dec. 7 – 22, Whitworth lost four games in a row for the first time since the 2004-05 season when the Pirates finished 13-11 under head coach Jim Hayford.
Pirates picked to win: Whitworth is listed at the top of the 2023-24 Northwest Conference coaches poll with six first place votes and 62 points. The Pirates are coming off 18-10 record in 2022-23, including a second place finish NWC regular season and a conference tournament championship. Whitman, who Whitworth defeated in the NWC tournament championship game, is second in the poll with one first place vote and 53 points. Third place Puget Sound (50 points) got the other two first place votes.
Start a New Streak?: Whitworth's school record streak of consecutive seasons with at least 20 victories came to an end last season after 16 in a row. Prior to that streak, the most 20-win seasons in a row the Pirates had ever had was two (on three different occasions). The NCAA statistics office granted waivers for streak records that were interrupted by Covid-19 in 2020-21. Whitworth's streak of 20-win seasons was the longest in all of NCAA Division III at the time.
Nearly Two Decades of Dominance: Since the beginning of the 2005-06 season (over 17 seasons) the Pirates are 420-97 (.812), an amazing run of success matched by few other college teams at any level. Within the Northwest Conference, Whitworth has won 219 of its last 250 (.876).
Home-Sweet-Home: Whitworth has been stellar in the Whitworth Fieldhouse since the 1990's. During the decade of the 1990s and 2000's Whitworth won more than 84% of its home games. However, since the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the Bucs are 218-27 (.889) at home.
The Pirates have had two home-court winning streaks of more than 40 games since 1990. A 41-game home court winning streak from early 2009 until December of 2011 was the second-longest in Pirate history. The school record for consecutive home victories is 43, beginning during the 1994-95 season and ending during the 1997-98 season.
Road Warriors: As good as Whitworth is at home, the Pirates have been almost as good away from the Whitworth Fieldhouse over the last decade. Since the start of the 11-12 season, Whitworth is 119-40 (.748) away from home, 90-28 (.763) in true road games.
On the Air Again: Whitworth's men's basketball games are once again carried live this season on KSBN 1230am in Spokane. The relationship between Pirate athletics and KSBN goes back to 1994, a span of more than 25 years. Bud Nameck is in his ninth season as the voice of Whitworth basketball. Nameck has more than 30 years of experience calling college basketball at Gonzaga University and Washington State.
The Coach: Damion Jablonski is in his 13th season on the Pirate coaching staff in 2023-24, and his fifth as head coach of the Pirates. His record was 76-26 as Whitworth's head coach heading into this season. Jablonski has led Whitworth to the NCAA Division III tournament three times in his previous four years, the only non-tournament year was due to Covid-19. His first year was a rousing success. He went 23-6, led the Pirates to a share of the Northwest Conference championship and to a pair of victories in the NCAA Division III tournament. The Bucs were slated to face top-ranked Swarthmore before the tournament was cancelled. Jablonski was named D3hoops.com West Region Coach of the Year and he coached Ben College to NWC Player of the Year and NABC All-America recognition. Whitworth went 12-5 during the COVID-19 season in 2020-21, including games against NCAA DI Montana, NCAA DII Seattle Pacific and NAIA playoff regular College of Idaho. Whitworth finished 22-5 overall and 13-3 in the NWC in 2021-22 to once again share the regular season title before winning the conference tournament.
Jablonski spent eight years as the top assistant at Whitworth, including six seasons with the title of Associate Head Coach. Over the course of his tenure as an assistant, the Bucs won 215 games, seven Northwest Conference titles and seven NWC tournament crowns. As the head recruiting coordinator, Jablonski was instrumental in continuing the Bucs' tradition of success by helping to recruit high quality student-athletes to Whitworth. His efforts over the past several years have included the addition of First Team All-American Kyle Roach, third team All-American and NWC Player of the Year Kenny Love and First Team All Northwest Conference selection Christian Jurlina.
Coming Up Next: Whitworth will play its final regular-season home weekend when the Pirates host Linfield and George Fox on February 9-10.
