Whitworth basketball sets school scoring record in 146-110 win over Greenville to open regular season

Whitworth men’s basketball team picked up the pace in a season-opening win, setting the school record for most points scored in a single game.

The Pirates (1-0) cruised to a 146-110 victory over the Greenville Panthers (0-1), of the Division III St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, as part of the Tip Off Classic tournament at the Whitworth Fieldhouse Friday.

The staggering scoring output – including 199 field-goal attempts between the teams – was nothing new to Greenville, having allowed an average of 146.5 points a game during a 4-11 season in 2020-21. The Pirates’ previous scoring high was 143 against Concordia-Chicago in 2018

Whitworth needed the offensive spark after mustering 55 points in an exhibition loss to Carroll College on Oct. 29.

The Pirates shot 68.4% from the field with eight players scoring in double figures, led by Jordan Lester and Liam Fitzgerald’s 18 points apiece. Lester also collected Whitworth’s first triple-double since Calvin Jurich in 2009, adding 14 rebounds and 12 assists.

Whitworth will conclude the Tip Off Classic at home against the University of Redlands on Saturday at 8 p.m.