Whitworth tops Lewis & Clark

Clutch shooting isn’t defined necessarily by a last-second jumper that wins a ballgame, although such a shot certainly would qualify.

Whitworth showcased all sorts of clutch shooting throughout an 82-73 victory over Lewis and Clark on Saturday at the Whitworth Fieldhouse, and it was for that reason the Pirates didn’t need any late heroics to extend its season-opening win streak to nine.

The Pirates also improved to 2-0 in the Northwest Conference. Lewis and Clark slipped to 5-3 overall, 1-1 in conference play.

James Jones posted 20 points for Whitworth and made several important jumpers that turned back the Pioneers’ best efforts to climb back into contention in the second half. Teammate Jon Young matched Jones with four 3-pointers and contributed with 17 points.

“They put pressure on us to be efficient offensively,” Pirates coach Jim Hayford said.

Whitworth held a 38-33 advantage at halftime and had to withstand the Pioneers’ 8-for-15 effort from beyond the arc in the second half. Lewis and Clark made 13 treys, but the Pirates kept pace with 12 of their own. Most importantly, it seemed that every time the Pioneers were primed for a run, Whitworth had an answer.

Lewis and Clark used an eight-point spurt to tie the game at 57-all with just over 10 minutes left, but the Pirates answered with seven consecutive points – capped by Young’s 3-pointer – to regain control.

“What you don’t want to do is exchange buckets, and it’s important to get right back on top of them,” Jones said. “We have a lot of good shooters and a lot of people who can make that shot.”

The Pirates exploited Lewis and Clark’s interior defense with starting center Kevin Hasenfus and sixth man Colin Willemsen, who scored 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Joey Toboni powered the Pioneers with 27 points and five 3-pointers. David Berggren added four 3-pointers, and Thomas Tillery had 11 points.

“Jon Clift scored 21 points on 8 of 9 shooting as CC Spokane beat Lower Columbia 79-66 in a non-conference game at Spokane Community College.

Clift connected on 3 of 4 three-point attempts and added four rebounds for the Sasquatch.

CC Spokane shot 48.4 percent in the first half compared to the Red Devils’ 38.5 percent. The Sasquatch outscored Lower Columbia 42-31 in the first half.

Eric Beal added 16 points, five rebounds and three assists for CC Spokane. Beal made four of his eight 3-pointers.

Robert Edwards led the Red Devils with 14 points.

“Nick Livi had 26 points, including five 3-pointers, as North Idaho topped host Great Falls JV 99-56.

Brian Morris added 21 points for the Cardinals, who built a 40-16 halftime lead. North Idaho’s Jamaal Rolle chipped in with 15 points.

“The 13th-ranked Washington Huskies are losing redshirt freshman guard Harvey Perry, who is transferring to another school, coach Lorenzo Romar said Saturday.

After being unable to play last season because of an injured back, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Perry played in four of Washington’s games this season, averaging 8.8 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

Perry, a top recruit for Romar two years ago, was buried in Washington’s rotation this season. Romar has moved freshman guard Adrian Oliver into the starting lineup and that hurt Perry’s playing time.