SPOKANE, Wash. – JoJo Anderson scored 23 points while tying his career-high with seven assists, and Whitworth beat Lewis and Clark 93-73 on Saturday night for their 20th straight win over the Pioneers.
Whitworth (14-7 overall, 10-2 NWC) erupted for a season-high 14 three pointers at a 61% clip, and ten players scored as they rolled past L&C (6-15 overall, 2-10 NWC) for the 29th time in the last 30 meetings.
"Some of the guys that we knew all seasons could really shoot the ball have come along now in their growth and as a coach I've felt more comfortable calling their number and so we've been able to combine that with our interior play to really stretch the floor," said coach Damion Jablonski.
Anderson entered tonight fresh off a 24-point second half on Tuesday to close out Whitman, and the junior guard picked up right where he left off. Anderson racked up 21 points in the first half on 9-12 shooting (3-3 from three) and added five assists to fuel a 53-38 halftime lead for Whitworth.
"Jo was phenomenal, he's so darn explosive. And when he's able to hit the three like he has been it adds a whole different dimension to his game," said Jablonski. "He's playing really confidently and he's a heck of a player."
The Pirates took control midway through the first half with a 17-2 run over three minutes. Stephen Behil, Jerry Twenge and Anderson all knocked down triples in that run as Whitworth took a 45-28 lead. Griffin Datcher IV scored seven straight points to fuel a 10-2 Pioneers' run, but Anderson came back with threes on the next two possessions to keep Whitworth in control.
The Pioneers cut the deficit to nine after five straight points from Sam Henderson, but Anderson found his rhythm once more with a crafty finish at the rim before finding Jake Holtz in transition to cap an 8-0 run for the Pirates, giving them a 66-49 lead with 11:47 left. Holtz scored 14 on 7-9 shooting.
Behil buried another pair of deep threes before Garrett Long knocked down a triple in his first game back from a December injury, and Whitworth ballooned its lead to 27. Behil finished with 14 points on 5-6 from three-point range.
Whitworth got 30 points from its bench on a night where it shot 59.7% from the field (64.5% in the first half). The Pirates are 10-1 this season when they shoot 50% or better.
The Pirates have bounced back from two losses last weekend and will retain sole possession of first place going into next week.
"I think last week there was some mental fatigue, but those losses were a wake-up call for us," said Jablonski. "I'm glad we were able to bounce back with wins this week."
Whitworth will host George Fox and Linfield next weekend in the final home games of the regular season.
