Stephen Behil hits buzzer-beating jumper, lifting Whitworth to win over Pacific

Whitworth’s Stephen Behil hit the go-ahead jumper as time expired and the Pirates overcame Pacific’s late rally, prevailing 81-79 in a Northwest Conference matchup on Saturday at Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The Pirates (8-3, 2-0 NWC) were up 41-29 at the half, and led by eight points with under 10 minutes remaining, but the Boxers (5-8, 1-2) used hot shooting to close the gap.

Pacific guard Anthony Hrboka’s layup tied it at 79-79 with seven seconds left. But Behil answered with the buzzer-beating clincher, capping the forward’s 21-point night.

Ben Nyquist added 16 points and six assists, and Caden Bateman totaled 10 points and nine rebounds for Whitworth, which shot 55.2% from the field and 9 of 24 (37.5%) from 3-point range. The Pirates did not trail over the last 32:25 of the game.

Hrboka tallied 30 points for Pacific, which shot 45.9% for the game but 57.9% in the second half, including 6 of 11 on 3s.