Pirates cruise to win

BURLINGAME, Calif. – Three Whitworth players scored in double figures and the Pirates cruised to a 85-33 non-conference men’s basketball victory over UC Santa Cruz on Thursday.

Whitworth has won five consecutive games after losing its season opener.

David Riley scored 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Colin Willemsen added 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Ryan Symes added 13 points.

The Pirates dominated the boards 50-25 with 11 different Pirates grabbing rebounds, led by Willemsen’s eight.

Whitworth hit 50 percent of its shots (32 of 64) while the Banana Slugs (2-6) managed only 23.8 percent (10 of 42). No Santa Cruz player scored in double figures.

The Pirates are off until Dec. 29 when they travel to Staten Island, N.Y., to take part in the Tournament of Heroes. They open with Richard Stockton (N.J.).