Area roundup: Bench sparks Whitworth men to victory

The Whitworth bench sparked a 13-0 first-half run that proved to be the difference in a 79-66 Northwest Conference men’s basketball win over Willamette in Salem, Ore.

Pirate substitutes scored nine of the 13 points that turned an early 15-4 deficit into a 17-15 lead. Jerry Beverly hit a 3-pointer and Will Hardy scored back-to-back baskets during the run. Ryan Symes sparked an 18-2 run in the second half with three inside buckets that allowed the Pirates (16-1, 7-1) to put the game out of reach.

Kevin Hasenfus paced five players in double figures for the 10th-ranked Pirates with 21 points and nine rebounds.

Dan Nugent finished with 17 points to lead the Bearcats (6-10, 2-5).

“Nick Livi’s two 3-pointers in the final 37 seconds were not enough as North Idaho dropped a 77-75 Scenic West Conference game to visiting College of Eastern Utah (12-4, 4-3) in Coeur d’Alene. Livi led the Cardinals (11-6, 3-4) with 24 points.

Women’s basketball

Willamette built a big first-half lead and held off a late surge to defeat Whitworth 64-58 in a Northwest Conference matchup.

The Bearcats (4-12, 2-5) jumped to a 36-12 lead in the first half, but the Pirates (11-6, 5-3) battled back to tie the score with 1:27 remaining on a pair of free throws by Alida Bower. Willamette regained the lead on a Keilyn Fujioka basket and converted 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Bower, Cassie Snyder and Natalie Orrell each scored 12 for the Pirates. Laura Payne topped the Bearcats with 17.

“Simone Jordan led three players in double figures with 19 points, and North Idaho defeated Eastern Utah (8-9, 2-5) 78-59 in a Scenic West Conference women’s basketball game at Coeur d’Alene.

Niki Scott added 14 points and Kay Hill chipped in a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinals (13-4, 5-2).

Wrestling

Brandon Palaniuk earned a 17-1 technical fall over Shane Rhoden at 133 pounds and North Idaho College cruised to a 29-9 win over Clackamas at Portland.

Track and field

Eastern Washington seniors David Paul and Carolee Guiterrez qualified for the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships during their first meet of the season at the Jerry Martin Invitational at EWU. Paul broke his school record in the weight throw with a toss of 67 feet, 1 ½ inches. Guiterrez mark of 53-3 ¾ inches is more than 2 feet farther than the qualifying mark for the women’s BCS Championships. EWU freshman Jessica Duran won the women’s pentathlon with 3,032 points, No. 6 on the school’s all-time list.

The meet continues today at 9 a.m.

“Idaho’s Matthew Wauters won the men’s weight throw competition with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 68-¼ inch at the WSU Open Indoor in Pullman.

The meet continues today at 8:30 a.m.