SPOKANE, Wash. – Caden Bateman blocked a potential game-tying three-point shot as time expired, helping Whitworth hold on for a 72-69 win over visiting Lewis & Clark in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The Pirates improved to 18-4 overall and 12-1 in the NWC, clinching at least a tie for the 2025-26 NWC title. One more win will give the Bucs an outright regular season championship. They host George Fox in the 2025-26 home finale on Saturday.
The River Otters (11-11 overall, 7-6 NWC) came out firing, despite missing star guard Andre Treadwell who was out with an injury. L&C jumped ahead 10-4 thanks to three-pointers by Joe Brown and Justin White. The River Otters still led 12-9 when Whitworth took control, outscoring L&C 15-0 over the next seven minutes to go ahead 24-12 with 8:50 to play after a Ben Nyquist basket. The lead reached 18 points (42-24) on Bateman's short jumper with 1:45 left in the first before the visitors got within 42-28 at halftime on a basket by Brown at the buzzer.
Whitworth made 47% (17-36) of its first half shots, 36% (5-14) from three-point range and had a 23-18 edge on the boards. The Bucs held L&C to 39% (12-31) from the field and 25% (3-12) from beyond the arc.
Despite the fact that Whitworth stretched the lead back to 17 points (55-38) on a jumper by Dylan Westermeyer seven and a half minutes into the second half, the River Otters never quit. They trimmed the margin to 59-50 on a second-chance basket by Darius Wilcher with 8:22 to go. When Brown drained a three-pointer with 2:58 to play, L&C had pulled within 65-62. On three occasions the River Otters cut their deficit to two points within the final two minutes, and on each occasion, Whitworth answered. After the final time with 1:02 to play, the Pirates were able to run out most of the rest of the clock thanks to a pair of offensive rebounds. Nyquist made the front end of a one-and-one with seven seconds left and L&C got the rebound after the second free throw. After calling timeout in the front court with 2.8 seconds to go, the River Otters got the ball to Brown, but his three-point attempt from the corner was blocked by Bateman just before time expired.
Whitworth struggled offensively in the second half, making only 39% (12-31), while L&C made 50% (16-32) after halftime to outscore the Pirates 41-30 over the final 20 minutes. But rebounding and defense in the final minute was the difference for Whitworth.
Nyquist finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. He moved within two steals of tying the Pirates' single season record (76).
Stephen Behil added 13 points for the Bucs, while Bateman and Ty Edwards scored 11 apiece. Behil led Whitworth with nine boards.
Kody Uyesugi scored 17 points for L&C, while Brown and White had 11 apiece. White also had eight rebounds for the River Otters.
