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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Whitworth men advance to NWC tournament championship

Valle’s 17 points lead balanced Pirates past Willamette

The No. 16 Whitworth Pirates turned a somewhat close game into an 89-64 blowout win over visiting Willamette on Thursday night to advance to the Northwest Conference tournament championship on Saturday. Third-seeded Lewis & Clark (16-10) upset Whitman 84-73 in the other semifinal Thursday to earn a chance to play the Pirates (23-3) at 7 p.m. Saturday in Whitworth Fieldhouse for an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament. “I thought our guys did a great job moving the ball around and creating opportunities both inside and outside,” coach Matt Logie. “It was great to see us play together like that.” Four Pirates scored in double figures and Matt Staudacher finished with nine points. Forward George Valle went 8 of 9 from the field and led Whitworth with 17 points. “That’s the best shooting percentage I’ve had in a game,” Valle said. “I was able to attack the hoop.” Two of those points came after a steal and drive by Christian Jurlina, who then tossed a dandy no-look pass to the streaking Valle. “I honestly thought he didn’t see me,” Valle said of Jurlina. “Then it’s in my hands. I thought, ‘I better make this one.’” Conference player of the year Kenny Love had 12 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. Backup post Adam Wilks never missed a shot from the floor and scored 14 points while leading the Pirates with eight rebounds. “That’s part of what makes us so dangerous,” Wilks said. “We have eight or 10 guys who can come in and contribute. We are so balanced on offense, I can’t imagine trying to guard us. It must be a nightmare.” Jurlina, the team’s leading scorer, missed eight shots and only scored two points in the first half. But he finished with 16 points, five rebounds and five steals. “In the first half, I was forcing it,” Jurlina said. “They played off me a little bit in the second half and I was able to get into my flow.” The Pirates shot 51.5 percent from the floor, including 7 of 13 on 3-pointers. Whitworth outscored Willamette 52-34 in the paint and the Pirates scored 25 points off of 20 Bearcats turnovers. Kyle McNally led the Bearcats (10-16) with 18 points and 10 rebounds. When the game started, Whitworth appeared tight and missed several shots in the paint. “I think we came out a little bit nervous because it is kind of a new season,” said Valle, who scored 11 of his 17 points in the first 20 minutes. “But once we got our wind, we were able to extend a little bit of a lead.” After the teams traded the lead five times, Love hit a 3 pointer with 11 minutes left in the first half to give Whitworth a 19-18 lead. The Pirates extended that lead to 43-29 at halftime and never looked back. The Pirates now prepare for the Pioneers, who lost to the Pirates 62-47 on Jan. 3 and 68-60 on Jan. 30 at Whitworth Fieldhouse. “Lewis & Clark is a really tough, scrappy defensive team,” Valle said. “They’ve got a lot of good shooters. It will be a grind-it-out kind of game, but I’m really excited.” Logie said the Pioneers are the best rebounding team in the conference. “They are a really good team,” Logie said. “We are looking forward to the challenge.”