Spokane, Wash., November 20, 2011 – No. 12 ranked Whitworth University used a 18-0 run in the first half to break open a seven-point deficit as the Pirates remained unbeaten with a 88-66 win over the Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team on Sunday afternoon in Spokane, Wash.
Washington U. relied on its defense early in the contest as the Pirates missed their first seven shots from the field. A fast-break lay-up by sophomore Chris Klimek at the 16:38 mark gave the Bears an early 8-2 lead. Whitworth answered back with five-straight points to trim the lead to one, but a three-point from the wing by senior Dylan Richter put Washington U. back up 11-7.
Klimek added another lay-up to make it 13-7, but that would be the last bucket Washington U. would score for the next 6:36. Whitworth answered with the 18-0 run as the Bears missed 12-straight shots from the field. Sophomore Tim Cooney ended the draught with a lay-up with 7:31 to play.
Washington U. would fall behind as much as 22 points in the first half, and trailed 50-29 at halftime. The Bears shot 29.4 percent (10-34) in the opening 20 minutes of play, and hit just one of six shots from three-point range. Klimek led WUSTL with 12-first half points. Whitworth shot 57.7 percent (15-26) in the first half, and hit 8-of-16 from three-point range.
Whitworth (2-0) scored the first 11 points of the second half to put the game out of reach at 61-29 with 17:14 remaining. Wade Gebbers had nine of the 11 points as he drilled three-consecutive three-pointers in a span of 1:11.
Klimek led the Bears with 12 points as he was the lone bright spot on offense for Washington U., who shot 34.3 percent (23-67) in the loss. Wade Gebbers (25 points) and Idris Lasisi (18 points) and Felix Friedt (17 points) all scored in doubles figures for Whitworth, who hit 13 three-pointers in the win and shot 53.8 percent (28-52) from the field.
Washington University (2-1) wraps up its four-game road trip with a pair of games on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 25-26, at the Rhodes College Thanksgiving Classic in Memphis, Tenn. The Bears open play against Ohio Wesleyan University in the first round on Friday at 5 p.m.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. and Whitworth met for just the second time in school history … The two teams met in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Division III Tournament – a 63-61 win by the Bears … Whitworth first-year head coach Matt Logie was on the sidelines for the second game of his career.