SPOKANE, Wash. – Ben Nyquist posted his first career double-double to lead top-seeded Whitworth to a 76-60 win over fourth-seeded Lewis & Clark in the semifinals of the 2026 Northwest Conference men's basketball tournament on Friday night at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The Pirates (21-5) advance to host Willamette (16-10) in the NWC tournament final at 5:00 pm on Saturday. The River Otters complete their season at 13-13.
In a rematch of last season's semifinal that saw L&C upset Whitworth on the way to a tournament title, three Pirate seniors made sure history did not repeat. Nyquist, who was named second team All-NWC earlier on Friday, finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Stephen Behil, a first team All-NWC honoree, had 16 points. Caden Bateman, another second team selection, had 12 points. Behil and Bateman both grabbed nine boards.
The game was not won with offense, however. Whitworth's league-leading defense led the way by holding the River Otters to 31% (23-74) from the floor, 24% (7-29) from three-point range. L&C came into the game leading the NWC in team field goal percentage and team three-point percentage.
The Pirates took a 35-26 halftime lead, but it might have been larger. Leading by 11 points, the Bucs missed three free throws late in the half and the River Otters got a basket from Marcus Bast with 30 seconds left to cut the deficit to nine points.
When L&C opened the second half with three straight three pointers, including a pair by first team All-NWC guard Andre Treadwell, to tie the game, the ghosts of last season threatened to haunt the Pirates once again. But Whitworth responded with a 10-2 run to go up 45-37 on a Nyquist layup. The River Otters trimmed the deficit to 48-45 with 10:31 to play before Whitworth put the game away. The Pirates finished off a 21-5 run with back-to-back three-pointers by Lucas Meissner and Behil to go ahead 69-50 with under five minutes left in the game.
Nyquist tied his career-high in points and surpassed his career-best mark in rebounds. His four steals extended his single-season school record to 88.
Whitworth made 47% (25-53) from the field, 52% (12-23) after halftime. After a slow start (1 of 7), the Bucs finished 7 of 17 (41%) from beyond the arc. Whitworth won the battle of the boards 50-37.
Yigit Arcan led the River Otters with 18 points, while Treadwell totaled 14 points and nine rebounds.
Whitworth will take on third-seeded Willamette in the championship. The Bearcats (16-10) knocked off second-seeded Puget Sound 80-75. First-year guard Kellen Sande scored 26 points for Willamette, while 2026 NWC Player of the Year Tanner Overby finished with 20 points.
The Loggers (17-9) got 22 points and eight boards from center Hugo Rutherfurd. Ian Cook scored 13 off the bench, while Zane Miller had a dozen points.
Willamette led 38-34 at halftime. Puget Sound took its last lead at 61-60 when Rutherfurd hit a three-pointer from the top of the key. The Bearcats scored the next seven points and never trailed again.
