SPOKANE, Wash. – Caden Bateman posted a double-double with career highs in points and rebounds to lead Whitworth to an 80-67 win over visiting Willamette in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The Pirates (7-3 overall, 1-0 NWC) won their conference opener while the Bearcats (6-5, 1-1) saw a four-game winning streak come to an end. 

Bateman scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.  He also had two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

The teams traded leads in the early going before Willamette used a 14-2 run to take a 27-18 lead eight minutes into the game.  It was the Bearcats' largest lead.   Whitworth responded with a 21-2 run of its own over the next six minutes, capped by a three-pointer from Colton Looney that gave the Bucs a 39-29 advantage.  Looney scored nine of those points. Willamette eventually cut the lead to four points (43-39) before Whitworth led 47-41 at the break after making 61% (19-31) in the first half.  The Bearcats hung in there by making 7-10 from the free throw line.

The Pirates outscored Willamette 14-2 to start the second half, opening a 61-43 margin.  Stephen Behil scored the first five while Bateman added the final seven during that run.  Whitworth led 63-45 with 13:30 to go, then went ice cold.  The Bucs missed ten field goals, while committing six turnovers, over the next eight minutes of the game, allowing Willamette to get within 65-59 on a basket by Anujan Tennathur with 4:53 to go.  The Bearcats trimmed the lead to 67-62 before Whitworth used a 13-0 run to put the game away.  Bateman hit 1 of 2 free throws with just over a minute to play to stretch the lead back to 18 points (80-62).

Bateman's previous career-highs came earlier this season vs. Belhaven when he had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

Four Pirates reached double figures.  Behil finished with 16 points, while Looney and Ty Edwards had 11 apiece.  Kobe Parlin scored nine in his season debut.  The team cooled off in the second half, shooting only 39% from the field to finish the game 30-59 (51%).  Whitworth had 19 assists on 30 made baskets, dished evenly among 11 players.  The Bucs had a 46-32 advantage in rebounds.

Tanner Overby scored 17 and Kellen Sande added 12 to lead Willamette.  The Bearcats were held to 34% (22-65) from the field in the game, 8-35 (23%) from the floor after halftime.

The Pirates will take on Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday.