Dunham On The Mark For Pirates
Whitworth’s Nate Dunham has been selected Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges player of the week for his efforts in the Pirates’ 74-63 win against Carroll College on Friday night.
Dunham, a 6-foot-6 forward from Almira, Wash., registered 16 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots in 29 minutes against the Fighting Saints.
The Pirates have jumped to a 6-1 start, and much of that has been due to the consistent play of Dunham.
During the fast start, Dunham has made 49 of 72 field goals - enjoying shooting nights of 9-for-13, 9-for-12, 7-for-8, 7-for-11, 4-for-7, 7-for-8 and 6-for-13.
In leading the team with an 18 points-per-game average, Dunham is shooting 68 percent from the field. That mark is just 1 percentage point behind his free-throw average.
Dunham also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 11 per game.
Notes
In the first NAIA ranking of the season, Willamette (6-0) was rated No. 5 while Whitworth was ranked No. 21. The Bearcats and Pirates are the only NCIC teams ranked in the NAIA Division II Top 25.
The Whitworth offense has been impressive, but it’s the defense that has caught the eye of coach Warren Friedrichs.
The other eight teams in the NCIC are allowing their opponents to score an average of 77 points per game; the Pirates are giving up just 62 per outing.
It’s no surprise though. For the first month of practice, Friedrichs had his teams work exclusively on defense.
In women’s action, Whitworth center Sherri Northington was an honorable-mention selection for NCIC player of the week, scoring 21 points on 10-for-13 shooting in a 59-52 loss to Carroll last Friday.
The Whitworth women don’t play again until Jan 6, when they travel to Lewis-Clark State College with the hopes of avenging a 73-48 defeat at the hands of the Warriors two weeks ago.
The Warriors (10-2) are ranked No. 28 in the NAIA Division I poll.
They enhanced their status in the eyes of the pollsters after defeating NCAA Division I Eastern Washington 49-48 last week.
The Whitworth men don’t play until Dec. 30, when they take on Southern California College in an away game.
, DataTimes