Area roundup: Kyle Roach’s 39 points keep Whitworth men on track for big showdown

Kyle Roach helped the Whitworth Pirates take care of business Saturday while looking forward to a huge game Tuesday.

Roach scored 39 points, shooting 14 of 22 from the floor and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, and the Division III fifth-ranked Pirates (19-2, 11-1) held off host Lewis & Clark 76-70 in Northwest Conference men’s basketball play in Portland.

Whitworth will host top-ranked Whitman (21-0, 12-0) at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Blues defeated Whitworth 91-75 on Jan. 9.

Roach scored 24 points in the first half as the Pirates took a 42-33 lead. The Pioneers (7-14, 3-9) cut Whitworth’s lead to 68-64 with 4 minutes, 40 seconds left, but Ben College hit a big 3-pointer 21 seconds later.

CC Spokane 81, Treasure Valley 60: Cameron Gay hit 11 of 12 free throws on the way to 25 points and the Sasquatch (17-6, 7-3 Northwest Athletic Conference) overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat the Chukars (8-13, 4-6) in Ontario, Oregon.

Gay led CCS to a 27-for-32 effort at the line.

Cesar Sandoval added 17 points for the Sasquatch, finishing 6 for 9 from the floor. Isaiah Gotell added 11 points off the bench and Dedrick Pakootas had a team-high eight rebounds.

CCS, North Idaho and Wenatchee Valley are tied for second place in the East Region, one-half game behind Walla Walla.

North Idaho 100, Yakima Valley 81: RayQuan Evans finished with game highs of 30 points and 12 rebounds while guiding the host Cardinals (17-5, 7-2 NWAC) past the Yaks (15-8, 6-4).

Evans shot 12 for 19 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line to lead the team’s 16-for-22 effort.

Jalen Burkett added 20 points for the Cardinals, who shot 23 for 36 from the floor in the second half.

Women’s basketball

Idaho 101, Sacramento State 64: Taylor Pierce hit six 3-pointers in the first half on her way to 19 points and Mikayla Ferenz added 23 points to guide the host Vandals (12-10, 8-3 Big Sky) past the Hornets (3-18, 1-8) in Moscow.

UI’s Geraldine McCorkell added 17 points and 15 rebounds in the wire-to-wire victory. UI hit triple figures for the second time this season.

Idaho is tied for second place with Northern Colorado and Montana, one-half game behind Weber State.

The Hornets defeated Idaho 79-64 on Jan. 4.

Eastern Washington 64, Portland State 57: Mariah Cunningham scored nine of her 13 points during a 2-minute stretch late in the game to lift the host Eagles (12-11, 7-4 Big Sky) past the Vikings (11-10, 5-5).

EWU’s Delaney Hodgins, the program’s all-time scoring leader, hit 10 of 17 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws on the way to 27 points, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 19 games.

Violet Kapri Morrow added 10 of her 15 points in the third quarter, and Symone Starks had seven assists and seven steals to tie her single-game team record.

Lewis & Clark 88, Whitworth 78 (OT): Miyah Leith scored four of her 33 points in overtime to lift the Pioneers (11-10, 6-6 NWC) past the Pirates (9-12, 4-8).

Freshman Camy Aguinaldo scored a career-high 35 points for Whitworth, adding six rebounds and five assists. Her two free throws with 2.8 seconds left in regulation forced OT.

Aguinaldo scored 12 first-quarter points to help give the Pirates an 18-10 edge.

Aguinaldo hit two free throws with 42 seconds left for a 71-70 lead. The Pioneers recaptured the lead with a Leith floater with 22 seconds left and Alyx Crager free throw 10 seconds later.

North Idaho 81, Yakima Valley 78: Whitney Meier scored 26 points, hitting 5 of 11 on 3-pointers, to lead the host Cardinals (14-7, 5-4 NWAC) past the Yaks (14-8, 4-6).

NIC moved into fourth place in the East Region, one-half game behind Treasure Valley.

The Cardinals outscored the Yaks 39-15 on 3-pointers and 20-9 at the line. Ronnie Harris added 14 points, Sydney Hovde 15 rebounds and Cierra Dvorak five assists for NIC.

Sequoia Wheeler scored 27 points for the Yaks.

Treasure Valley 57, CC Spokane 49: Tara Chamberlain and Paige Vorwaller finished with 11 points and eight rebounds apiece to lead the Chukars (11-10, 6-4 NWAC) past the Sasquatch (12-9, 3-7) in Ontario, Oregon.

CCS trailed 32-30 at halftime and shot 7 for 26 in the second half, including 0 for 7 on 3-pointers.

Jessica Olson scored 15 points for the Sasquatch, hitting 6 of 10 from the floor. Shaye Swannack added 10 rebounds and five assists.

UNLV 77, Boise State 54: Riley Lupfer (Lewis and Clark High) set the Broncos’ single-season record for 3-pointers made during a Mountain West Conference loss to the Rebels in Boise.

Lupfer, who led the Broncos with 17 points, hit five 3-pointers to bring her season total to 83, surpassing Abby Vaughan’s 81 in 2002-03.

Baseball

Joel Conderay’s grand slam in the top of the ninth inning allowed Whitworth (2-1) to achieve a split on the day with a 6-2 win over East Texas Baptist (1-2) at the Gents Baseball Classic in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Matthew Devillier (1-0) allowed three hits over five innings to lead 20th-ranked Centenary to a 3-0 win over the Pirates to open the day.

T.J. Orchard, who battled injuries last season, pitched six solid innings for the Pirates in the second game, allowing seven hits and one earned run in six innings.

Austin Rice allowed the tying run in the seventh but earned the win with three innings of relief.