Whits Give Chieftains Full Nelson Freshman Hits Six 3-Pointers To Lead Pirates’ Rout
Ryan Nelson was introduced to Whitworth College men’s basketball games one year ago as a spectator who paid particular attention to Nate Williams, the most prolific 3-point maestro in school history. Nelson watched in street clothes, choosing to redshirt his freshman year and wait his turn.
Friday night, Nelson lit up the Whitworth Fieldhouse, hitting six from 3-point range and finishing with a game-high 24 points as the 22nd-ranked Pirates blew out Seattle University 89-60. This time, it was Williams, now a graduate assistant coach, who watched - and smiled - from the bench.
“Nate Williams was my idol,” admitted Nelson, who is from tiny Waterville High School. “He’s taught me a lot. He’s my coach on the bench. He works with me through everything.”
Nelson, the first freshman Whitworth coach Warren Friedrichs has felt comfortable starting in more than 10 years, found his range late in the first half. With 4:37 left in the half and Seattle keeping it close, Nelson hit his second trey.
He gave the Pirates a 39-26 lead with 3:14 left in the half on another 3-pointer and nailed his third with 5 seconds left for a 44-33 halftime lead. Nelson was 6 of 9 in the game, all from 3-point range, and 6 of 6 from the freethrow line. He entered averaging 10.9 points per game.
“He’s a shooter. And we needed an outside shooter,” Friedrichs said about his decision to start a freshman. “Ryan gets his shot away quickly and he’s kinda streaky. Now we’ve got an outside presence that you’ve got to guard and that opens up the middle. And like tonight, if you zone us, we’ll move it around long enough. If he’s open he’ll shoot it.”
The win improved Whitworth to 9-4, 5-2 in the Northwest Conference. It also extended the Pirates’ home winning streak to 37, including 27 against conference opponents. Whitworth goes for No. 38 tonight at 8 against Puget Sound (6-7, 4-4).
The one-sided game allowed Friedrichs to use different combinations.
Starting center/forward Ben Heimerman led the players in the paint with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He scored seven of the Pirates’ first 12 points, including a 3-pointer. The Pirates were 11 of 24 from long range.
The Chieftains, 3-12, 1-7 in their first season as members of the Northwest Conference, attempted 16 3-pointers but made none of their six attempts in the second half.
Whitworth junior reserve guard Julian Nakanishi made the most of his 11 minutes of second-half playing time. On two occasions, Nakanishi drove past defenders and flipped in finger-roll layups. He finished with six of the bench’s 24 points.
“He tried to make some highlight moves. I don’t like to rub it in, but they were having fun and playing hard,” Friedrichs said.
Seattle sophomore forward Mark Stottlemyre, averaging 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, finished with a team-high 15 points (5 of 14) and seven rebounds.
But the Pirates’ depth, coupled with their 1,000-plus loud fans, was too much for Seattle to overcome.
The Pirates shot 51.7 percent overall (31 of 60) and the Chieftains shot 43.4 percent (23 of 53).
, DataTimes