Whitworth Takes Exciting Victory Over Whitman

Leave it to the wise Whitworth men’s basketball coach, Warren Friedrichs, to put a positive spin on this one.

“We’re making it a lot more exciting for our home fans. We don’t intend to, but it’s just the the way it is this year,” said the Pirates’ 14th-year coach after Saturday night’s 80-77 win over Whitman College at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

It hasn’t always been that way when the Pirates met the Missionaries, a team that’s usually in the Northwest Conference’s lower division.

Whitworth extended it winning streak over Whitman to eight straight, but had it not been for the Pirates’ 13 3-pointers, coupled with Whitworth’s efficient free-throw shooting down the stretch compared to Whitman’s blanks, the Missionaries might have pulled this one out.

The win was Whitworth’s third straight, which comes on the heels of a seven-game losing streak. The Pirates improved to 6-8, 3-4 in the Northwest Conference while Whitman slipped to 7-6, 3-4.

Whitworth never trailed after the first 3 minutes and once led by 12, 54-42, when Kelson Ramey nailed a 3-pointer at the 16:18 mark in the second half. Ramey, a sophomore guard, finished with 18 points, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Senior guard Tyler Jordan also got in on the long-range act, landing 5 of 7 and finishing with a team-high 19 points and three steals.

Whitworth hit nine 3s in the first half, two straight by Greg Jones and another by Jordan in a span of 85 seconds, leading to a 43-36 halftime lead. Ironically, the Pirates played without one of their biggest 3-point threats, Ryan Nelson, who missed the game because of a right hamstring injury. He’s expected to return in time for next weekend’s road trip to Willamette and Linfield.

Still, the Pirates’ 13 3-pointers (in 28 attempts) amounted to their best effort since setting a school record of 17 against Howard Payne (Texas) University in the 1995-96 NAIA Division II tournament. But they never managed to put away the visitors, who soundly outrebounded the Pirates, 43-28, and got the score as close as 74-71 with 1 minute to play.

The Pirates went ahead 80-74 when Julian Nakanishi hit both free throws with 32 seconds remaining. Whitworth finished 11 of 13 from the line to Whitman’s 6 of 17. The Mountaineers hit just 3 of 6 down the stretch.

Cameron Evans hit a 3-pointer with 1 second remaining to put the final margin back at three. Evans finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, second to teammate Todd Hendry’s game-high 23 points.

“We couldn’t make a free throw and we didn’t take care of the basketball,” said Whitman coach Skip Molitor, who watched his team turn over the ball 17 times to Whitworth’s 11.

Hendry, a junior guard, kept the Missionaries in the game, scoring nine points in the final 5:36.

“I thought they (Whitman) really competed,” Friedrichs said. “ I thought Hendry put them on his back and carried them. It’s been obvious we’re not as strong as the last few years, but we’re happy to win.”

Whitworth 80, Whitman 77

Whitman (3-4, 7-6) - Hendry 9-17 2-2 23, Lambert 0-1 0-0 0, Berry 0-0 0-0 0, Hoisington 0-0 0-0 0, Justice 3-7 0-0 6, Washington 0-4 0-3 0, Evans 9-17 1-8 20, Hill 7-9 0-0 19, Durkin 2-5 0-0 6, Arrington 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 0-1 3-4 3. Totals 31-61 6-17 77.

Whitworth (6-8, 3-4) - Ramey 6-11 2-2 18, Luce 1-2 0-0 2, Meserve 1-3 1-3 3, Schulz 0-4 0-0 0, Rusk 0-0 0-0 0, Nakanishi 4-10 6-6 15, Sullivan 0-0 0-0 0, McDaniel 3-7 0-0 6, Jordan 7-11 0-0 19, Jones 4-9 3-5 13, Ruebel 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 28-62 11-13 80.

Halftime - Whitman 36, Whitworth 43. 3-point goals - Whitman 9-19 (Hendry 3-9, Lambert 0-1, Evans 1-4, Hill 5-5), Whitworth 13-28 (Ramey 4-8, Meserve 1-3, Nakanishi 1-3, Jordan 5-7 Jones 2-4, Ruebel 0-3). Fouled out - Whitman, Justice. Rebounds - Whitman 43 (Evans 11), Whitworth 28 (Ramey 4). Assists - Whitman 16 (Justice, Washington 4), Whitworth 18 (Ruebel 4). Total fouls - Whitman 14, Whitworth 17. Technicals - None. A - 921.