Pirates Remain On Target Show-Stopping Weston Sparks Whitworth Past Lutes

If the Harlem Globetrotters have a spot for a white kid from Washington who stands 5-foot, 7-inches tall in his knee-high stockings, then Sean Weston deserves a look.

Weston demonstrated the dribbling prowess of a street-smart pro Friday night at the Fieldhouse, sparking the eighth-ranked Whitworth College men’s basketball team to a 75-63 win over Pacific Lutheran University. It was their 42nd straight home win.

The highlight of Weston’s alreadyloaded reel jumped out with 8:27 left in the game and the Pirates coasting 56-40. Weston, who plays as low to the ground as a limbo dancer, was raring to start the fastbreak.

Instead, he and PLU’s Brad Brevet got tangled up as they scrambled for the ball. Brevet fell and was sprawled out in front of the scorer’s table. Weston hurdled over him and at the same time kept his dribble.

Seconds later, Whitworth’s Ben Heimerman completed the play with a layup, bringing the standing-room-only Pirates’ fans to a frenzy.

“That’s what we call a play. You play the game to make plays,” Whitworth coach Warren Friedrichs said. “And to get this kind of a setting, usually people get a lot of intensity going.”

Heimerman finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 5 of 5 from the foul line. Weston, whose minutes have been increasing lately, stayed in for 24:39 and chipped in with 15 points, five assists and three steals.

“I’ve been playing well in the second half the last few games,” said Weston, a senior from Lacey. “I’ve been shoot ing better in practice and I’ve picked up my defense a lot.When I’m smaller, sometimes people try to take advantage.”

The win improved first-place Whitworth to 16-5, 12-3 in Northwest Conference games with three left on the regular-season schedule. Tonight’s opponent, No. 12 Lewis & Clark College, defeated Whitman 88-79 Friday and brings a 16-5, 11-4 record into the game. George Fox (13-8, 11-4) kept pace with LC by defeating Puget Sound 83-64 Friday.

With that in mind, the Pirates have no time to revel in their win over the Lutes (13-8, 9-6) in a game that remained close for the first half.

Whitworth last trailed 16-15 midway through the first half. But reserve guard Julian Nakanishi gave the Bucs some breathing room when he scored all his points in less than 3 minutes. His third basket - an athletic layup - came at 8:22 and gave the Pirates a 24-18 lead.

Brevet closed out the half by hitting two foul shots as the Lutes went into intermission trailing just 37-32.

“We didn’t defend very well in the first half,” Friedrichs said. “And we didn’t hit 3s.”

The Pirates were off all night from 3-point range. Weston and usually reliable long-range shooter Ryan Nelson both hit two 3s to put Whitworth at 4 of 19 for the night. PLU, relying heavily on the long ball in the second half, finished 4 of 21. Torey Swanson landed two 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 14 points.

His second trey came with 39 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 71-63. However, Weston was 4 of 4 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds to finish off the victory.

“Their defense was excellent,” said PLU coach Bruce Haroldson, whose team is fighting for the fourth and final postseason tournament spot.

Whitworth 75, PLU 63

Pacific Lutheran (13-8, 9-6) - Alseth 0-0 0-0 0, Kelly 0-7 0-0 0, Albright 5-7 3-4 13, Swanson 5-13 2-2 14, Manners 2-5 1-4 5, Bechtold 0-0 0-0 0, Preuit 2-2 0-3 4, McNight 1-3 0-0 2, Brevet 4-13 2-4 12, Schlottmann 6-8 1-3 13. Totals 25-58 9-20 63.

Whitworth (12-3, 16-5) - Mix 8-12 0-0 16, Weston 3-7 4-6 12, Schulz 1-2 2-2 4, Nakanishi 3-7 0-0 6, Nelson 3-8 0-0 8, Heimerman 8-11 5-5 21, Jordan 0-3 0-0 0, Jones 2-8 0-0 4, Ruebel 0-1 4-4 4. Totals 28-59 15-17 75.

Halftime - Pacific Lutheran 32, Whitworth 37. 3-point goals - Pacific Lutheran 4-21 (Swanson 2-8, Brevet 2-8), Whitworth 4-19 (Weston 2-5, Nelson 2-6). Fouled out - Brevet. Rebounds - Pacific Lutheran 33 (Schlottmann 7), Whitworth 38 (Mix 9). Assists - Pacific Lutheran 11 (Kelly, Swanson 4), Whitworth 16 (Weston 5). Total fouls - Pacific Lutheran 18, Whitworth 15. Technicals - None.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Tonight Whitworth vs. Lewis & Clark: women 6; men 8