Bucs Trey Magnifique Jones Hits Winner As Whitworth Stays Alive In Naia Tournament

Speedy Sean Weston dodged and weaved, finally spotting Greg Jones open on the left wing.

With one foot on the CBA-designated 24-foot 3-point line, Jones avoided a defender and instinctively put up a clean 3-pointer. His shot went swish and with 1.8 seconds remaining, the Whitworth College basketball team let out a sigh, complete with celebration, as the Pirates claimed a 75-72 victory over Cardinal Stritch University in a second-round 9 a.m. wakeup game at the NAIA Division II tournament.

“I was trying to get up a good shot with 5 … 4 … 3 seconds left. I happened to get the ball in my hands with 1.2 seconds left. I let it fly,” said. Jones, a 6-foot-7 junior forward who was instantly hoisted into the air by 6-0 guard Julian Nakanishi as Cardinal Stritch called timeout. “I didn’t have time to think about it.”

Originally, the clock showed 1.2 remaining, but .6 was added, giving Cardinal Stitch that much more of a milli-second to counter Whitworth’s euphoric ending. Cardinal Stritch’s Derrick Westlake, a 3-point specialist who played just 4 minutes, got a good look at a final shot, but his baseline 3-pointer caught the front rim and bounced out.

Nothing to it for Jones, Mr. Clutch, formerly of West Valley High, who won a game in similar style earlier this year against Northwest Conference foe Pacific Lutheran University. But the stakes are higher this time of year and Friday’s win advanced eighth-seeded Whitworth (20-7) into today’s quarterfinal game against top-seeded Bethel (Ind.) College (34-3), the defending national champion.

About 150 Whitworth fans witnessed the second-round win. The support from Spokane is expected to grow for today’s 2 p.m (PST) tip.

Cardinal Stritch (24-9) came with size as their front line (6-7, 6-6 and 6-6) outrebounded Whitworth 35-32. The Crusaders also had a slew of perimeter shooters, who fired up 727 on the season (36.6 percent made). Whitworth (20-7) countered with muscle and its own bombers, finishing 11 of 23 from 3-point range to the Cardinal Stritch’s 5 of 14.

“I knew it was going to be physical. I thought it was going to be a real even match and that’s exactly what happened,” Whitworth coach Warren Friedrichs said.

Neither team could break loose. There were nine ties and 13 lead changes, including one tie and two lead changes in the final 1:09.

With the score knotted 72-all and 47.3 seconds left, the Crusaders were setting up a play when point guard Duane West committed a silly turnover with 19.9 remaining. West’s forceful pass jumped off the hands of Kelvin Cram and sailed out of bounds.

All Whitworth needed for the win was a layup, perhaps Weston driving or a play designed for Jeff Mix or Ben Heimerman. Just 30 seconds earlier, Weston had found Heimerman down low, allowing the Pirates to tie the game.

“We were counting it down and he (Weston) was supposed to penetrate - to him or Tyler (Jordan),” explained Whitworth coach Warren Friedrichs. “But when we play ratball, Greg Jones makes a lot of game-winners. He’d been quiet all game and he’s not afraid to take it.”

But not quiet enough to go ignored by Cardinal Stritch coach Denny Fox. Until his game-winner, Jones had scored 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting after scoring 8 seconds into the game with an easy layup.

“We told our team in a timeout right ahead of that (game-winning) play that he (Jones) was probably the guy they’d look for,” Fox said. “We couldn’t guard him earlier in the game, and it seemed like we couldn’t get a good matchup with him all day long.”

Heimerman led the Pirates with 17 points, the same number he scored in the opener. He also finished with a team-high seven rebounds.

Whitworth 75, Cardinal Stritch 72

Whitworth (20-7) - Mix 4-11 0-3 8, Heimerman 5-6 7-8 17, Jones 4-6 4-4 14, Nelson 3-8 0-0 9, Jordan 4-9 2-2 12, Weston 3-4 0-1 8, Schulz 0-2 1-2 1, Nakanishi 1-2 0-0 3, Ruebel 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 25-52 14-20 75.

Cardinal Stritch (26-10) - Harris 3-5 0-0 8, Petelin 6-17 3-3 15, Strauss 6-13 0-2 12, West 5-8 3-4 14, Rember 0-2 0-0 0, Westlake 0-1 0-0 0, Crim 3-7 3-4 11, Barnett 3-6 4-4 10, Rauch 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-60 13-17 72.

Halftime - Whitworth 40, Cardinal Stritch 39. 3-point goals - Whitworth 11-23 (Nelson 3-8, Jones 2-3, Jordan 2-3, Weston 2-3, Nakanishi 1-2, Ruebel 1-3, Heimerman 0-1), Cardinal Stritch 5-14 (Harris 2-2, Crim 2-4, West 1-3, Petelin 0-1, Rember 0-1, Westlake 0-1, Barnett 0-2). Fouled out - Harris. Rebounds - Whitworth 32 (Heimerman 7), Cardinal Stritch 35 (Petelin 15). Assists - Whitworth 15 (Weston 5), Cardinal Stritch 15 (West, Crim 4). Total fouls - Whitworth 19, Cardinal Stritch 18. Technicals - None. A - NA.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Up next Today at 2 p.m.: Whitworth vs. Bethel (Ind.). Radio: KSBN 1230-AM at 1:45 p.m.