No. 6 Whitworth, No. 2 Whitman gear up for showdown

It’s been a long time since the Whitworth Fieldhouse has seen a game this big, at least in January.

Neither has Spokane, for that matter.

Whitworth is 15-2 and ranked sixth in the nation in this week’s Division III poll, but they’re not even the top team in Eastern Washington.

That distinction goes to the second-ranked Whitman Blues (17-0), who take on the Pirates in a Northwest Conference showdown Tuesday night in Spokane.

“Teams ranked that high – I don’t think that’s ever happened before. It should be a great game,” Whitworth coach Matt Logie said.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Whitworth is two games behind Whitman in the NWC standings, and needs to win to stay in the hunt to win the regular-season title. A win also would boost the Pirates’ resume for an at-large NCAA berth.

There’s also the revenge factor. Whitman has won the last three meetings, including a second-round NCAA game last March in the Fieldhouse. The Blues also won this year’s first meeting, 79-65 in Walla Walla on Dec. 6.