SALEM, Ore. – Led by Stephen Behil and Caden Bateman, visiting Whitworth University bounced back from its first Northwest Conference loss with a 93-85 win over Willamette in a men's basketball matchup on Saturday night at Cone Fieldhouse.
The Pirates (15-4 overall, 9-1 NWC) shot 60.7% from the field in the second half and made a season-high 24 free throws to outlast several late pushes from the Bearcats (11-9, 6-5 NWC).
Willamette jumped ahead 7-2 on a jumper from Tanner Overby. The Bucs cut the deficit to one with a shot from Behil, but the Bearcats extended the lead back to seven, their largest of the game, following a three-pointer at the 14:48 mark. Whitworth battled back to tie the game and eventually took the lead with a Looney long-range shot, its first since the game's opening basket. The lead changed five times in the final ten minutes of the first half, with Willamette grabbing a 40-37 lead at the break. The Pirates shot 42.4% in the first half to Willamette's 48.4%. The Bearcats made eight first half three-pointers, but the Bucs scored 17 points off 10 WU turnovers. Behil led all scorers with 16 points on 7-11 shooting.
A quick 11-0 run to start the second half resulted in the Pirates retaking a 48-40 lead following a three-pointer from Bateman. Whitworth's defense forced five consecutive misses and three turnovers before Willamette made its first field goal of the half at the 16:04 mark. Aadem Asai's layup trimmed the Bearcats' deficit to five, but the Bucs responded to take a 61-50 lead after two made jumpers and a three-point play from Carson Talbert. Willamette continued to chip away, cutting the lead to four after a pair of Overby free throws with 8:42 to go. The Pirates again answered. Ben Nyquist's steal led to a breakaway layup and a pair of Bateman free throws pushed the Whitworth advantage to 80-68 with 5:28 to play, its largest of the game.
Despite the double-digit deficit, the Bearcats would not give in. Overby scored five points to cut the Pirate the lead to just three with two minutes remaining. The Bucs beat the Willamette pressure on the next two possessions, resulting in a one-handed flush and layup from Bateman to extend the advantage back out to seven. After a key stop at the other end, Whitworth put the game away from the free throw line.
The Pirates shot 50.8% (31-61) from the floor and 35% (7-20) from beyond the arc. Willamette shot 46.4% (32-69) from the field and finished 13 of 30 (43.3%) from three-point range. The Bucs grabbed the advantage by making 24 of 30 free throws to Willamette's eight. Whitworth also scored 33 points off 19 Bearcat turnovers.
Behil led the Pirate offense with 24 points and eight rebounds. Bateman scored a career-high 21 points on seven of 11 shooting from the floor and six of seven from the free throw line. Ty Edwards finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and a team-high six assists. Nyquist added seven steals.
Overby led all scorers with 33 points, his third consecutive 30-point game. Kellen Sande scored 15 points and Anujan Tennathur added 10.
The Whitworth men return to the Fieldhouse for a matchup with Whitman on Tuesday.
