Host Whitworth opens NWC tournament Friday with semifinal matchup against Lewis & Clark

Whitworth is two home wins away from securing its return to the national tournament.

The Pirates have reason to like their odds this weekend in the Northwest Conference Tournament. They’ve won just under 90% of their games at Whitworth Fieldhouse over the past 20 years and went 11-1 at their home venue this season, with an unblemished home record in conference play, en route to a third straight NWC regular-season title.

The Pirates clinched the NWC regular-season crown two weeks ago and earned the right to host the conference tournament, which begins Friday at Whitworth Fieldhouse. No. 1 seed Whitworth meets fourth-seeded Lewis & Clark at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals.

The winner will face either second-seeded Puget Sound or No. 3 Willamette – those two meet Friday in the earlier semifinal – at 5 p.m. on Saturday in the NWC championship for the league’s auto bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The games can be streamed on FloCollege.

The NWC powerhouse Pirates are looking to avenge a home loss to Lewis & Clark in the 2025 NWC tournament semifinals. For the first time in 20 seasons, Whitworth failed to advance to the championship game, falling to the River Otters 71-64. The Pirates had won the NWC tourney and qualified for the national tournament in three straight seasons before last year’s upset.

This season, the Pirates (20-5, 14-2 NWC) swept Lewis & Clark (13-12, 9-7), routing the Otters 82-62 on Jan. 17 in Portland and eking out a 72-69 victory on Feb. 13 in Spokane. The Pirates let a big second-half lead slip away in the second game, but got a game-sealing block in the final seconds from forward Caden Bateman to hang on.

Whitworth won six straight games before closing its regular season with a 69-67 loss at Puget Sound on Saturday. The Otters, who’ve played under an interim coach for most of the season, clinched a spot in the conference tourney on Saturday with a 92-83 win over visiting Willamette.

Whitworth boasts the NWC’s top field-goal percentage defense (38.4%), which ranks eighth in D-III. The Pirates are second in the NWC in points per game (82) and points allowed (69.8). They’re also the best rebounding team in the NWC, and a top-20 rebounding squad in D-III.

The Pirates enjoy veteran experience with their handful of senior leaders. Stephen Behil (16.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg), a breakout wing from Camas, leads the way. Fellow Washingtonians Colton Looney (12.2 ppg), a forward, and guard Ben Nyquist (11.3 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.4 steals) – who set the school record for single-season steals – have been crucial, along with Bateman (12.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg), a senior Montana native.

The Otters led the NWC in field-goal percentage (47.4%) and 3-point percentage (36.9%). They’re paced by guard Andre Treadwell (18.8 ppg), who managed just seven points in the first matchup with Whitworth and didn’t play in the rematch. But he tallied 25 points in the team’s postseason-clinching win last weekend.