Whitworth Men Prevail Behind Ramey’S 24 Points

Kelson Ramey led the Whitworth men’s basketball team with 24 points Wednesday night as the Pirates beat Whitman 81-70 in the Northwest Conference opener at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

Ramey also led the team with 36 minutes of playing time, something that’s becoming almost as notable as scoring this season. Eleven of the 14 players who suited up played a minimum of 6 minutes.

“That’s a dilemma,” said Whitworth coach Warren Friedrichs, whose rotation looks more like hockey line changes. “We have depth, so you want to use it without disrupting the flow and rhythm.”

The biggest disruption of the night came from Whitman (1-4, 0-1) in the first half, when it killed Whitworth (3-2, 1-0) in rebounding 30-14. The game was tied four times in the first half and Whitman went into the break ahead 38-37. “It was a bit helter-skelter in the first half, and they just boarded it,” Friedrichs said. “Our main objective in the second half was to get some rebounds. It’s effort in winning the ball.”

Friedrichs’ players responded, out-rebounding Whitman 21-17 in the second half, including eight on the offensive glass after just three in the first half. Bryan Depew led the Pirates with nine boards. The firstyear player out of Central Valley High also had 13 points.

Aside from rebounding, the Pirates’ field-goal attempts began to fall.

Whitman’s Leonard Harmon hit a 3-pointer to tie the game for the seventh time, 46-46, but that was it for the Missionaries.

Whitworth took the lead on sophomore guard Chase Williams’ layup with 15:57 left. The Pirates went on to outscore the Misssionaries 15-3 over the next 6 minutes. The run was highlighted by an alley-oop from Williams to Gunner Olsen.

Ramey, who shot 8 of 11 on the night, quickly followed with a baseline jumper. Olsen, a transfer from Wenatchee Valley College, pushed the lead to 61-49 on a layup.

The Pirates also became more efficient from the free-throw line in the second half. They were 7 of 13 from the line in the first half and finished 21 of 31.

Whitworth was 6 of 17 from 3-point range behind Ramey’s 3 of 5 3s.

Junior forward David Rusk made the most of his 16 minutes, hitting 2 of 3 3-pointers and finishing with 11 points and two rebounds.

“Rusk helped us,” Friedrichs said. “Every team needs a ball mover, and I think that’s what David did. He got people to move and got people to the ball a little better.

Harmon, a senior guard who’s not shy about shooting, let Whitman with 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting, including 4 of 10 from 3-point range. Mark Bouma, a 6-4 forward, led the Missionaries with 10 rebounds.

Whitworth 81, Whitman 70

Whitman (1-4, 0-1) - Fuller 2-4 2-2 6, Harmon 6-18 0-0 16, Bouma 4-6 4-6 12, Rutledge 3-11 0-0 6, Bell 1-6 1-2 3, Harris 6-11 0-0 14, Sorti 0-0 0-0 0, Erlebach 3-5 1-2 8, Berry 1-5 0-0 2, Pounds 1-4 0-0 3.

Whitworth (3-2, 1-0) - Ramey 8-11 5-10 24, Depew 5-8 3-4 13, Jensen 2-6 5-6 9, Olsen 2-7 0-0 4, Luce 2-7 2-2 6, Bierlink 0-0 0-0 0, Gazdik 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 3-5 2-3 8, Nelson 1-6 0-0 3, Rusk 3-5 3-4 11, Irion 1-2 1-2 3.

Halftime-Whitman 38, Whitworth 37. 3-point goals-Whitman 8-18 (Harmon 4-10, Bell 0-1, Harris 2-2, Erlebach 1-1, Berry 0-1, Pounds 1-3). Whitworth 6-17 (Ramey 3-5, Jensen 0-1, Olsen 0-1, Gazdik 0-1, Williams 0-1, Nelson 1-5, Rusk 2-3). Fouled out- Fuller. Rebounds-Whitman 37 (Bourma 10). Whitworth 35 (Depew 9). Assists-Whitman 10 (Fuller 4). Whitworth 15 (Olsen 5). Total fouls-Whitman 23, Whitworth 12. Technicals-none. A-632.