SALEM, Ore. – Garrett Paxton came off the bench for 20 points and visiting Whitworth dominated the glass in a 92-58 win over Willamette in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Saturday night.
The Pirates (17-4 overall, 11-1 NWC) won their fifth straight game and moved into a tie for first place in the conference standings. The Bearcats (1-20, 0-12) dropped their 18th straight game.
Willamette took a 6-4 lead on Daniel Plumer's jumper just over two minutes into the game. Whitworth outscored the Bearcats 25-4 over the next eight minutes, taking a 29-10 lead on Rowan Anderson's three-pointer. The Pirates made five three-pointers in that run, including a pair by Ben College. Whitworth led 38-18 on Garrett Paxton's jumper before Willamette cut the margin to 46-32 at halftime. The Bucs made 47% (17-36) in the first half and outrebounded the Bearcats 28-11 in the opening 20 minutes. Garrett Hull led Whitworth with nine points at the break.
The Pirates continued to pull away in the second half, led by Paxton who scored 13 of his points after the halftime. Sam Lees hit consecutive baskets for a 55-34 lead and his three-pointer extended the advantage to 62-37 with 14:31 to go. The Whitworth bench played extensively over the final ten minutes of the game and continued to stretch the lead. Paxton hit two straight three-pointers for a 79-48 margin with 5:40 to play. The Bucs led by as many as 37 points in the final minutes. Even with the bench getting much of the final 20 minutes, Whitworth improved its shooting to 56% (19-34) after halftime, including 54% (7-13) from three-point range. The Pirates continued to dominate the boards and finished with a 55-21 edge, including a 17-3 margin in offensive rebounds.
Paxton finished 7-12 from the field, 4-7 from beyond the arc, in his 18 minutes. Lees scored 17 points and College finished with 13. Fitzgerald grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and dished three assists.
The Pirate defense held the Bearcats to 35% (21-60) shooting from the field, including 23% (6-26) from three-point range.
Jack Boydell led Willamette with 15 points and Cade Whicker scored 14.
Whitworth will host Pacific (Ore.) and George Fox in the final regular season home games of the season next weekend.