SPOKANE, Wash. – Kobe Parlin scored 17 points off the bench and sparked Whitworth to a key second half scoring run to lead the Pirates to a76-65 win over visiting Pacific Lutheran on Saturday night in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The Pirates (14-3 overall, 8-0 NWC) won their ninth straight game and hold a two-game lead in the standings at the halfway point of the conference schedule.
The Lutes (9-8 overall, 3-5 NWC) came out of the gates hot, making four of their first five three-pointers and opening an 18-13 lead after Julian Brown drilled a trey five minutes into the game. Whitworth did not tie the game until Ben Nyquist drove for a layup to make it 21-all with 8:36 left in the half. PLU led 26-23 when the Bucs used a 7-0 run to take a 30-26 lead on a pair of Nyquist free throws. Whitworth led 38-34 at the break. Ben Tellez had 16 points at halftime for the Lutes, nearly half of the team's point total.
The Pirates opened the second half with a 10-0 run to open a 48-34 advantage as PLU missed its first seven shots from the field and Whitworth made five of seven. The Lutes pulled back within 50-44 when Henry Smith scored a put-back basket. Whitworth followed with an 13-4 run as Parlin scored nine points, including three straight buckets that gave the Bucs a 63-48 lead with 10:07 to go in the game.
Then the Pirates went cold, missing their next ten shots. PLU used the opportunity to cut the margin to seven points (65-58) on Brown's jumper in the paint with just under five minutes to play. Parlin hit two free throws on Whitworth's next possession and Stephen Behil ended the scoring drought with a fall-away basket that extended the lead back to double-digits (69-58) with 3:18 to play.
It was a game of extremes for the Pirates, who had their best free throw game of the season (17-18) at 94%, but their worst three-point shooting night (15%, 3-20).
Parlin scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. Behil posted his third double-double of the season with team-highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Whitworth finished the game 28-64 (44%) from the field, but held a 46-31 edge on the boards.
Tellez scored a game-high 24 points for PLU, making 5 of 9 from three-point range. Smith scored 14 points off the bench for the Lutes, who made 25 of 64 (39%) of their field goals.
Whitworth will open the second half of conference play on the road at Pacific (Ore.) and Willamette next weekend.
