SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University will host the 2024 Northwest Conference men's basketball tournament this weekend. Semifinals are Friday night at 6:00 and 8:00 pm, with the championship on Saturday at 6:00 pm. Top-seeded Whitworth takes on 4th-seeded Puget Sound on Friday at 8:00, following the first semifinal between #2 Whitman and #3 Pacific (Ore.). Whitworth's games 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.
Ticket Information: Prices for each night of the tournament are as follows: Adults ($12), Seniors and Children up to 17 ($6). Students from each participating school receive free admission with valid student ID. Game tickets may be purchased online through Whitworth's Hometown Tickets portal. Doors to the Fieldhouse will open at 4:30 p.m. each night.
The Pirates: Whitworth (17-8 overall, 13-3 NWC) split on the road last week, falling to Pacific Lutheran on Friday before defeating Puget Sound on Saturday.
Whitworth ran into a hot Pacific Lutheran squad on Friday night, losing 75-72 to the Lutes. PLU had its best three-point shooting night of the season against a Northwest Conference opponent, making 10 of 24 (42%) from beyond the arc. The Pirates trailed 70-60 with just over three minutes to play before using a 12-2 run to tie the game in the final minute. Jojo Anderson converted consecutive three-point plays to cap the run. PLU made three free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the win, splitting the season series between the teams. Anderson finished with 17 points, while Jake Holtz and Sullivan Menard scored 15 points apiece. Holtz also led the Pirates with eight rebounds. Whitworth made 26-58 (45%) from the field, 7-21 (33%) from three-point range.
The Pirates had their championship hopes on the line on Saturday at Puget Sound and responded with a 77-53 win over the Loggers. A loss would likely mean the Bucs drop to second place and lose the chance to host the NWC tournament, but Whitworth faced down the pressure. The Pirates never trailed after the first three minutes of the game, opening a 37-24 lead at halftime after using a 12-0 run to turn a 15-13 advantage into a 27-13 lead. Whitworth led by double digits throughout the second half. Holtz finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Menard added 20 points, going 11 of 13 at the free throw line. Jerry Twenge scored a dozen points and had five steals, while Colton Looney sparked the Bucs with ten points off the bench, all in the first half.
Whitworth comes into the tournament averaging 79.0 points and allowing 72.8 points per contest. The Pirates rank second in the NWC in team field goal percentage (48.3) and in team three-point percentage (37.4).
NWC Tournament Info: The 2024 Northwest Conference playoffs consist of a four-team tournament hosted by regular season co-champion Whitworth. The semifinals are on Friday, Feb. 23, and championship game is on Saturday, February 24. While the 2023-24 Northwest Conference championship was decided by regular season play, the 2024 NWC playoffs will determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
NWC Tournament History: The 2024 NWC tournament is the 27th conference tournament since the NWC (then the NCIC) first began a league playoff in 1994. This will be Whitworth's 26th appearance, the most of any conference school. Heading into this week the Pirates are 32-10 all-time in the league playoffs. The Bucs have appeared in the championship game 20 times, including the last 19 in a row, and have won 15 times, including the last two seasons. The league did not hold a tournament in 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2021 (due to COVID-19). The only season the Bucs did not qualify is 2000.
This will be Puget Sound's second straight, and 11th overall, appearance in the NWC tournament. The Loggers are 5-9 all-time in league playoff games and looking for their second crown, and first title since 2006. Whitman is making its 15th conference tournament appearance, including last season, and the Blues are 12-10 all-time. They have won four titles, their last coming in 2021. Pacific (Ore.) is in the conference tournament for the first time since 2000, making its third appearance ever. The Boxers are 2-1 all-time and won the tournament in 1997.
How the (North)West was won: Whitworth and Whitman, both 13-3 in the league, are officially co-champions of the Northwest Conference and each will get a trophy. By virtue of their regular season sweep of the Blues, the Pirates get to host this weekend's tournament and Whitman is the #2 seed. Three schools – Pacific, Puget Sound and Willamette – tied for third place in the NWC with 9-7 records. With only room for two more teams in the tournament, the league used a head-to-head tiebreaker to determine the berths. Pacific finished 4-0 against the other two schools, getting the #3 seed. Puget Sound went 2-2 against the other two, while Willamette finished 0-4, giving the final spot to the Loggers.
The Opponents: Puget Sound finished the regular season 14-11 overall and 9-7 in the NWC after falling at home last weekend to Whitman (74-69) and Whitworth (77-53). Head coach Aubrey Shelton (6th season) followed up last year's second place finish with another strong run. Puget Sound averages 77.5 points per game and allows 78.8 ppg. The Loggers rank second in the conference in field goal percentage defense (44.8%). Junior guard Liam Ruttledge leads the team in scoring (14.3 ppg), while making 36% of his three-pointers and 2.5 three-pointers per game (2nd in the NWC). Junior point guard Taj Phillips adds 13.4 points per game and leads the NWC in assists (6.3 apg) and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.3). Whitworth swept the regular season series vs. UPS, winning 79-70 at home on January 21st and 77-53 on Feb. 17 in Tacoma.
The Other Half: The other half of the NWC tournament bracket features 2nd-seeded Whitman vs. #3 seed Pacific (Ore.).
Whitman (19-6 overall, 13-3 NWC) comes into the tournament riding a five-game winning streak. The Blues finished off the regular season with a 74-69 win at Puget Sound last Friday and an 83-81 overtime victory at PLU on Saturday. Head coach John Lamanna, in his fourth season, led Whitman to a second straight regular season league title. Whitman averages 82.0 points per game and allows 75.8 points per contest. The Blues lead the conference in team field goal percentage (49.8%) and team three-point percentage (38%). Senior guard Jai Deshpande is the NWC regular season scoring champion (18.3 ppg) and makes a league-best 42.6% of his three-point attempts. Senior forward Jander Cline adds 15.0 points per game and makes 57.8% of his field goals (2nd in the NWC). Whitworth swept Whitman during the regular season, winning 76-69 at home on January 2nd and 92-74 in Walla Walla on January 30th.
Pacific University (15-10 overall, 9-7 NWC) stormed into the 2024 NWC tournament by winning five of its last six games. The Boxers clinched their spot by defeating Lewis & Clark (81-71) and Linfield (87-78) at home last weekend. Head coach Justin Lunt, in his fifth year at Pacific and 17th year in the league, has Pacific back in the NWC tournament for the first time since 2000. The Boxers average 81.8 points per game and allow 73.3 per contest. Pacific leads the league in three-pointers per game (9.4) and ranks third in three-point percentage (36.3). The Boxers also allow opponents to make only 31.5% from beyond the arc, tops in the NWC. Junior guard Lucas Winkler averages 16.8 points per game (third in the NWC) and 5.2 assists per game (2nd in the conference). His +2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the league. Junior forward Devin Fortune puts up 14.0 points per game and ranks third in the NWC in rebounding (6.7 rpg). Whitworth split with Pacific this season, winning 67-65 at home on December 2nd and losing 89-74 in Oregon.
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 (17.7 points per game, second in the NWC) and scored a career-high 33 points in a win over Northwest University on November 21st, the sixth-highest single game total in the NWC this season. He's made 49.5% of his field goals (5th in the NWC) and leads the team in assists (65) and assists per game (2.8). Anderson has been the NWC men's basketball student-athlete of the week twice this season – November 27th and February 5th. The guard from nearby Mt. Spokane HS missed the 2022-23 season with an injury.
No Holtz Barred: Jake Holtz seems to do everything for the Pirates in 2023-24. He averages 14.9 points per game, which is third on the team and ranks eighth in the NWC. He also leads the Pirates in rebounding (6.4 per game, fifth in the NWC) and steals (31). He is making 57.1% of his field goal attempts (third in the NWC) and was selected as the NWC's men's basketball student-athlete of the week on November 13th. On Feb. 10th Holtz became the 30th Pirate in school history with 1,000 career points and he now has 1,040.
Jerry, As Needed: Jerry Twenge, in his fifth year as a Pirate, averages 7.1 points and 4.1 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. Menard averages 15.6 points per game (second on the team, sixth in the conference). He leads the NWC in three-pointers per game (2.7) and ranks fourth in three-point percentage (38.7%). He posted his first career double-double on Feb. 10th during a win over George Fox with career-highs in points (39) and rebounds (12) on Senior Night. Menard averages 5.2 rebounds per contest, second on the team. Menard is also a member of the Pirates' men's golf team.
Nearly Two Decades of Dominance: Since the beginning of the 2005-06 season (almost 18 full seasons) the Pirates are 425-98 (.813), an amazing run of success matched by few other college teams at any level. Within the Northwest Conference, Whitworth has won 224 of its last 256 (.875).
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 221-27 (.891) 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 121-41 (.747) away from home, 92-29 (.760) 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. He is 92-34 as Whitworth's head coach and has led the Pirates to a third regular season title in his tenure. Jablonski led Whitworth to the NCAA Division III tournament three times in the 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 won NWC tournaments in both 2022 and 2023, despite the fact that the Pirates were not the top seeded team.
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: The winner of this weekend's NWC tournament will claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The field will be announced on Monday morning at 11:30 am (PST).
