Area college basketball: Whitworth men win seventh straight game

Ben College made three 3-pointers and scored 23 points, Kevin Crosno came off the bench to sink four 3-pointers and score a career-high 15 and ninth-ranked Whitworth defeated Emory & Henry 87-80 on Sunday at the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas for its seventh straight win.

College was 6-of-12 shooting and made all eight of his free throws while Crosno was 5 of 7, missing just two 3-point shots.

Jared Christy added 11 points and five assists, Ben Bishop added 10 points and Jordan Lester pulled down 13 rebounds to go with nine points and six assists.

The Pirates (10-1) shot 57 percent, made 9 of 20 from the arc and 20 of 23 free throws.

Whitworth took a 41-28 lead at halftime and led by as many as 19 in the second half before the Wasps got within 85-80 with 31 seconds left. But College made two free throws and the Wasps missed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left with the Pirates running out the clock.

The Pirates open conference play Friday at Lewis & Clark.

Women

Whitworth 70, Cal Lutheran 68: Camy Aguinaldo and Megan Dorney scored 16 points apiece and the Pirates held on to beat the host Regals in the Cal Lutheran Holiday Classic in Thousand Oaks, California.

The Pirates (7-4) had a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Regals got within two with 1:06 remaining but neither team scored again with Whitworth’s Talia Brandner blocking a shot and Cal Lutheran (6-6) missing a 3-pointer in the final minute.

The Pirates open conference play Friday at Lewis & Clark.

CC Spokane 70, Olympic 49: Jessica Olson made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points and the Sasquatch defeated the Rangers to complete a three-game sweep at the Skagit Valley Holiday Tournament in Mt. Vernon, Washington.

Alexia Novelli added 15 points and eight rebounds, Katlyn Ostrowski had 10 points and four assists and Shania Graham sank three treys for her nine points.

CCs led 31-26 at halftime then pulled away from the Rangers (1-12) by outscoring Olympic 23-9 in the third quarter.

Olson and Graham were named to the all-tournament team.

The Sasquatch (11-1) have won nine straight heading into NWAC East Region play that begins Wednesday when they host Walla Walla at Spokane Falls CC.