Whitworth men handle Puget Sound; women lose to Loggers

From staff reports

Whitworth bounced back from a narrow loss to beat Puget Sound 93-77 on Friday in just its second game since Dec. 17.

The No. 20 Pirates (10-2, 3-1) were able to continue their otherwise successful season last Saturday with a 71-69 loss to Whitman, after a holiday break and weather cancellation had put it on hold.

Garrett Paxton scored back-to-back 3-pointers early in the first half to spark a 13-0 Pirates run that put Whitworth ahead for good.

Paxton scored 23 points and shot 7 of 11 on 3-pointers. JT McDermott added a team-high 27 points.

McDermott and Paxton’s scoring totals were career highs.

Whitworth led 42-29 at halftime and traded baskets with the Loggers for most of the second half.

Miguel Lopez added 10 points for the Pirates and Jojo Anderson scored nine.

Liam Fitzgerald, Rowan Anderson and Jake Holtz added six points apiece for the balanced Whitworth offense that has five players averaging double figures this season, and seven over eight points a game.

The Pirates will host Pacific Lutheran on Saturday at 6 p.m. for the second of a four-game homestand.

Puget Sound women cruise past Whitworth

Puget Sound went on a 16-4 run in the final 4 minutes of the first quarter to blow past host Whitworth.

The Loggers (12-1, 5-0 NWC) cruised to a 82-59 win over the Pirates (5-8, 0-4) behind 18 points from Kennedy Brown.

Whitworth shot 36.1% from the field and 21.1% on 3-pointers. The Pirates turned the ball over 28 times for their third straight loss. UPS scored 26 points off turnovers.

Gonzaga Prep graduate Olivia Mayer was a bright spot with a team-high 17 points and 16 rebounds for Whitworth. Mayer is third on the team in scoring average and rebounds, while playing 14.5 minutes a game.

The Pirates will host Pacific Lutheran Saturday at 4 p.m.