No. 21 Whitworth stops Lewis & Clark in OT

Lewis & Clark missed two late free throws that resulted in overtime and the Whitworth Pirates rallied to defeat the Pioneers 68-60 on Friday night at Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The 21st-ranked Pirates (16-2, 9-0 Northwest) tied the game at 56 when sophomore wing Christian Jurlina hit a jumper with 39 seconds to play in regulation.

The Pioneers’ Cannen Roberson had a chance to win the game but he missed two foul shots with 27 seconds remaining that allowed Whitworth another chance.

“It was a great basketball game,” Whitworth coach Matt Logie said. “Lewis & Clark played terrifically and really battled.”

The game had 13 lead changes after halftime as the Pirates struggled against the rebounding-dominant Pioneers.

In overtime, the Pirates got four points from senior Adam Wilks, a huge 3-pointer from Jurlina and a put-back by Taylor Farnsworth to seal the victory.

“Adam came in late and gave us a huge lift,” Logie said of Wilks. “Taylor played like a senior. That’s what seniors do. They step up when you need them the most.”

Kenny Love scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half. Jurlina had 17 points and six rebounds and Farnsworth finished with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

“Kenny Love put us on his back in the second half,” Logie said. “I was really proud of how our guys hung in there.”

Both teams couldn’t hit the side of a barn to start the game. In one series to start the game, George Valle missed a long jumper. Farnsworth rebounded the ball off his face and got it back to Valle, who then missed the same shot again.

Despite poor shooting, Whitworth built an 11-point lead in the first half before the Pioneers responded with a 15-6 run to tie the game at 23 at halftime. The teams then traded blows the entire second half.

“We weren’t hitting our shots in the first half,” Love said. “They battled back and are really physical and tough inside.”

Roberson and Carl Appleton both had 15 for the Pioneers. Appleton also had 18 rebounds for the Pioneers (11-7, 6-3) who won the battle of the boards 50-30. Lewis & Clark outscored the Pirates 26-22 in the paint and 18-13 on second-chance points.

“We were in a dogfight,” Love said. “It’s going to be good for us going forward. It’s good to know we can grind it out against a physical team.”

Whitworth has won 15 straight.