Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Whitworth Gets Job Done Again

Maybe the best way to think of the Whitworth Pirates basketball team is to think of the toy called the Transformer. Both can be manipulated to take whatever shape is desired, thanks to a variety of interchangeable parts.

The Pirates used their morphogenetic ways to earn an 89-78 win against against Linfield in a Saturday night home game, claiming a share of first place in the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges.

Here’s how:

When the Pirates’ (6-3, 16-7) leading scorer, Kevin Wright, had trouble getting good shots against a stingy defense keying on him, Jeff Palmer stepped in and scored 16 points off 6-for-9 shooting from the field.

Then with off-guard Roman Wickers moving the ball around like a point guard and accounting for nine of the prettiest assists he’s earned, reserve guards Sean Weston and Louis Vargas stepped in and sank three 3-pointers between them for added offense.

“Not only do they have depth, but they have a strong inside game (43-25 Pirates rebounding edge), they have a strong outside game (33 for 58 from the floor) and they run the floor well,” said Wildcats coach Larry Doty.

And then there was Nate Dunham on offense for the Pirates. If you tried to seal him in a telephone booth, he’d still find a way to find an opening to score a basket. He led Whitworth with 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting.

“I’m not the biggest guy in the world,” Dunham said. “I work a lot on those inside moves because I don’t have the size.”

Whitworth led 47-42 at halftime but used a 14-6 run to start the second half to pull away.

What was even more impressive about this Whitworth win was that it took place after a physical and emotional win against Willamette the night before.

“We put all of our energy into Willamette,” Dunham said. “At home though, we got a big boost from the crowd. It’s packed out here.”

In the NCIC, the majority of conference games are played on back-to-back nights. At one point those games were played predominantly on Thursday and Saturday instead of Friday and Saturday.

“I would prefer that kind of schedule,” Whitworth coach Warren Friedrichs said of the previous format. “When we came out for our shoot-around earlier, a lot of the team was sore and tired.”

Thank goodness for a deep bench.

Palmer’s play helped offset some bumps and bruises.

“I’ve been pumped all weekend,” Palmer said. This is as big a weekend I’ve ever experienced since I’ve been here.”

If the Pirates keep playing like this, there will be some more big weekends to come real soon.

Whitworth will play Carroll College in a non-conference game at home Thursday night at 8 before another conference battle at Whitman on Saturday night at 8.

Whitworth 89, Linfield 78

LINFIELD (4-5, 10-14)

Rohiffs 2-3 0-0 4, Lucas 2-6 6-9 12, Doucette 1-2 1-2 4, Olson 5-11 0-0 12, Bailey 3-10 1-2 8, Faison 0-0 0-0 0, Curran 0-3 0-0 0, Nietz 4-6 3-5 11, Dixon 8-14 0-0 18, Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Nelson 4-9 1-1 9. Totals 29-64 19-19 78.

WHITWORTH (6-3, 16-7)

Weston 3-3 2-2 8, Stern 4-6 2-2 10, Wickers 4-10 0-0 8, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Dunham 9-12 0-0 18, Vargas 1-1 2-2 5, Arkills 2-5 1-1 5, Beckman 0-1 0-0 0, Mix 0-0 2-2 2, Devine 0-0 0-0 0, Wright 4-11 9-11 17, Palmer 6-9 4-4 16. Totals 33-58 20-22 89.

Halftime score - Whitworth 47, Linfield 42. 3-point goals - Linfield 8-22 (Lucas 2-5, Doucette 1-1, Olson 2-5, Bailey 1-3, Curran 0-1, Dixon 2-4), Whitworth 3-7 (Weston 2-2, Stern 0-2, Wickers 0-1, Vargas 1-1, Beckman 0-1). Total fouls - Linfield Linfield 20, Whitworth 17. Fouled out - None. Technical fouls - None. Rebounds - Linfield 25 (Olson 6), Whitworth 17 (Palmer 4). Assists - Linfield 12 (Lucas 4), Whitworth 21 (Wickers 9). A-1,800