Whits’ season ends at tourney

ST LOUIS – Whitworth College flummoxed Washington University with a baffling zone defense Saturday night. The Pirates brought their opponent to a halt in the first half and seemed poised to do so in the second.

But they couldn’t stop Washington U’s march to the free-throw line and they couldn’t hit the shot they needed most. The result was a 63-61 loss in the second round of the Division III men’s basketball tournament, a loss that ended their season one game short of the Sweet 16.

“We’ve had a lot of success with three different zones the whole year,” Whitworth coach Jim Hayford said. “We threw one zone at DePauw (Friday) and they were baffled for the first 10 minutes. We threw a different zone at Wash U and left them scratching their heads for a while.

“The hard part is not playing zone defense; it’s a 40-minute game and they can figure it out.”

Bryan Williams had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. But this time, his desperation shot came up short, and Washington fans spilled onto the court.

Washington U got a lift from sophomore forward Tyler Nading, who scored 19 points after the break to finish with 25. Troy Ruths added 18.

“Our guys persevered,” Bears coach Mark Edwards said. “We hit big baskets when we needed them. … Tyler’s spirit is such that you just can’t put it down. It’s contagious to the rest of the team.”

James Jones finished with 17 points to lead Whitworth. Ryan Symes and Kevin Hasenfus scored 12 apiece and Colin Willemsen added 11.

With their victory, the Bears (22-4) advanced to the Sweet 16. They will next face Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a 93-76 victor over St. John’s University (Minn.) Saturday night. Stevens Point is ranked first in the D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll.

Whitworth (24-4) went into its game against the Bears with one of the best scoring offenses in Division III. All five starters were averaging in double figures, and as a team, the Pirates were shooting 52.8 percent from the floor.

But neither team looked sharp early in the game. Washington U. missed its first 10 shots. The Bears didn’t score a field goal until Ruths made a layup off a sizzling entry pass from Sean Wallis with 12:24 remaining in the first half.

The Pirates collapsed on Ruths, contesting every shot by Washington U.’s leading scorer. It worked, as Ruths went 1 for 6 in the first half. But the resulting free-throw disparity kept the Bears in the game. They went 12 of 16 from the line in the first half (Whitworth was just 1 of 2) and headed to the locker room with a 24-23 lead.

The Bears pulled away in the second half, taking a 50-42 lead after Nading took command of the offense. He scored 12 consecutive points for Washington U., which did not relinquish its lead the rest of the way.

The Bears finished with 20 free throws on 28 attempts while Whitworth went 7 for 13 from the line. But even with the big differential, Hayford was sanguine.

“It was a great game,” he said. “It was a great crowd. The students stormed the court. It was everything you want your guys to have in a national tournament atmosphere.”

Except a victory.

Wash. U 63, Whitworth 61

Whitworth (24-4)—Jones 6-10 4-8 17, Symes 5-12 0-1 12, Hasenfus 5-7 2-2 12, Williams 3-11 0-0 9, Young 0-4 0-0 0, Willemsen 5-7 1-2 11, Jurich 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-52 7-13 63.

Washington (Mo.) (22-4)—Nading 8-14 8-10 25, Nikitas 4-12 1-1 11, Ruths 4-11 10-13 18, Wallis 1-6 0-2 2, Thompson 1-8 0-0 3, Wagner 0-0 0-0 0, Syvertsen 1-5 0-0 3, Smith 0-0 1-2 1, Kelly 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-56 20-28 63.

Halftime—Washington (Mo.) 24, Whitworth 23. 3-point goals—Whitworth 6-17 (Williams 3-7, Symes 2-2, Jones 1-2, Willemsen 0-2, Young 0-4), Washington (Mo.) 5-27 (Nikitas 2-6, Nading 1-4, Syvertsen 1-4, Thompson 1-8, Wallis 0-5). Fouled out—None. Rebounds—Whitworth 35 (Symes 8), Washington (Mo.) 35 (Ruths 12). Assists—Whitworth 14 (Williams 7), Washington (Mo.) 14 (Wallis 10). Total fouls—Whitworth 20, Washington (Mo.) 16. A—833.