Whitworth men rally late, beat LC

PORTLAND – Whitworth reeled off 16 straight points to roar back and secure a 73-66 victory over Lewis and Clark on Friday in a Northwest Conference men’s basketball game.

The Pirates (16-4, 10-1 NWC) trailed 61-55 after LC’s Zeke Crawford scored with 5 minutes, 20 seconds remaining. Whitworth scored the game’s next 16 points, though, to dissolve the deficit. Sam Lees scored to give the Pirates a 63-61 lead, and Whitworth eventually led by as much as 71-61.

The Pioneers (8-12, 4-7) got as close as 71-64 with a Nick Lombardi 3-pointer with 32 seconds left, but Ben College’s two free throws sealed the outcome for Whitworth.

College led Whitworth with 31 points on 12-for-25 shooting, including 4 of 10 beyond the 3-point arc. Lees added 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Crawford and Brenden Patrick scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, for LC. Crawford also grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Pirates remained a game behind first-place Whitman in the conference standings. Whitworth plays at Willamette on Saturday at 6 p.m.