PORTLAND, Ore. – Colton Looney's career-high 27 points helped Whitworth avenge its first-round loss in the 2025 Northwest Conference men's basketball tournament with an 82-62 victory over Lewis & Clark College on Saturday night at Pamplin Gymnasium.
The Pirates (12-3, 6-0 NWC) extended their winning streak to seven while the River Otters (8-7, 4-2 NWC) had their own four-game winning streak snapped.
Whitworth came out hot and scored 12 unanswered points to open the game behind a pair of Looney three-point baskets. A hook shot from Caden Bateman pushed the lead to 16-4 at the 14:25 mark and the Bucs maintained a comfortable advantage for the next ten minutes of action. The River Otters cut into the lead after Justin White's jumper got L&C within seven with 3:20 to play in the half. After a free throw from Taien Jackson, Whitworth took a 35-27 lead into the break. Looney led all scorers with 13 points and added seven rebounds to lead the Bucs. The Pirates shot 38.9% (14-36) from the field and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds in the first half.
L&C came out firing and opened the second half with three consecutive long-range shots to trim the Whitworth lead to just one at the 18:36 mark. The teams battled until the Bucs drew a pair of fouls and made five free throws to push their advantage back out to 50-43 with 13:35 left. Whitworth followed by making seven of its next eight shots en route to an 18-2 run that blew the game open. Looney began the run with a layup and Bateman's bucket gave Whitworth its largest lead of the game 68-47 with 7:32 remaining. Kobe Parlin led the way with eight points during the run. Despite the River Otters making six of their final eight shots, the Bucs outscored L&C 15-14 the rest of the way.
Whitworth shot 47% (31-66) from the field and made five of 17 three-point attempts (29.4%). The River Otters shot 41.1% (23-56) and made 12 of 26 (46.2%) three-point attempts. The Bucs overcame the impressive three-point shooting with a 46-25 advantage on the glass, 18 coming on the offensive end, and 15 forced turnovers.
Looney finished with 27 points on 9-15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Bateman had a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Parlin posted 13 points and seven rebounds while Ben Nyquist had 10 points and two steals.
Arcan Yigit led L&C with 13 points off the bench. Marcus Bast and Joe Brown each scored nine points while White led the team with eight rebounds.
The Whitworth men will look to extend their winning streak next weekend against Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran in Spokane.
