Whitworth men use big second-half run to rout Linfield 90-43

From staff reports

Whitworth made a mess of the Northwest Conference men’s basketball standings on Tuesday night and enjoyed every bit of it.

Whitworth opened a big halftime lead and started the second half on a staggering 30-2 run to punctuate a 90-43 rout of Linfield at the Fieldhouse.

The result, combined with Pacific Lutheran’s 72-68 win over Puget Sound, created a three-way tie for first place in the NWC.

The teams traded baskets early, but Whitworth (12-2, 5-1 NWC) built a 49-28 lead by halftime and sustained a level of play the Wildcats (9-4, 4-1) failed to match. The Pirates shot 37 for 66 (56.1%) from the field and led by as many as 49 points (79-30) in the second half.

Jojo Anderson paved the way for Whitworth with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and he also grabbed seven rebounds. JT McDermott finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Miguel Lopez added 12 points and five boards.

The Pirate defense held Linfield to a 5-for-30 (16.6%) shooting performance in the second half, and the Wildcats were held without a player scoring in double figures.

Whitworth outrebounded the Wildcats 45-28, and the Pirates’ bench outscored their Linfield counterparts 46-19.