Christian Jurlina scores 19 points and Whitworth holds off Puget Sound
Christian Jurlina scored 19 points and Whitworth topped Puget Sound 69-62 on Saturday in Tacoma, to clinch a home game in the upcoming Northwest Conference men’s basketball tournament.
Whitworth had to work hard to hold off the Loggers after building a 15-point lead with less than ten minutes to play. Puget Sound was fighting for its NWC tournament life and needed a win to stay alive for the fourth and final conference playoff spot.
Jurlina went 5 of 11 from the field and 8 of 8 at the line. Kyle Roach added 15 points with nine rebounds, while Derek Isaak added 10 points. Kenny Love and Drew Sears grabbed 11 rebounds apiece as the Pirates (20-3, 11-3) held a 47-35 advantage on the boards.
Easton Driessen led Puget Sound (12-11, 5-9) off the bench with 20 points. Carlos Mancasola had 11 points and Andre Lewis added 10.
Ben College’s 3-pointer with 9:09 left put Whitworth up 51-36. Puget Sound then went on a 9-0 run and continued to chip away.
Mancasola drilled a 3-pointer with 26 seconds left to draw Puget Sound within three, but Love and Jurlina both hit a pair from the line to seal it.