SPOKANE, Wash. -- Michael Taylor scored 30 points on an almost perfect shooting night to lead third-ranked Whitworth to a 104-71 win over visiting Whitman in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Tuesday night at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
Taylor (Brewster, Wash.) made 9-10 of his shots from the field and all 10 of his free throws to help the Pirates improve to 16-0 overall and 7-0 in the NWC. His effort spearheaded a Whitworth offense that made 62% (34-55) of its shots from the field, including 57% (12-21) from beyond the arc, on Tuesday night.
Whitman struggled to keep up, especially in the first half when the Missionaries (10-6 overall, 3-4 NWC) only made 28% (9-32) of their shots. Whitman came into the game having won eight of its last nine contests.
The Pirates blew the game open early. Leading 16-10 six and a half minutes into the game, Whitworth went on a 17-0 run over the next five minutes to open a 33-10 lead. David Riley, Jack Loofburrow and Wade Gebbers all hit three-pointers during the run. The Bucs eventually led by as much as 32 points (56-24) after another Loofburrow three before going to the locker room with a 59-30 lead.
Felix Friedt's basket less than four minutes into the second half extended the Whitworth lead to 70-33. Whitman never quit, however, and David Michaels converted a three-point play to get the Missionaries back within 78-50 with a little less than 12 minutes to play. But Whitworth retook control and by the time Taylor converted a pair of free throws with 8:19 to go, the Pirates had built a 41-point (93-52) advantage.
In addition to leading all players in scoring, Taylor also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and tied for game honors with six assists. Five Pirates hit double figures: Friedt had 18, Riley had 16, Loofburrow scored 13 and Gebbers finished with ten. Whitworth outrebounded Whitman 42-26.
Michaels and Brandon Shaw led four Missionaries in double figures with 14 points each. Ignas Pavilonis added 11 points and Josh Duckworth contributed 10 points and six assists.
Whitworth will finish off the first half of the NWC basketball schedule on Friday in the Fieldhouse against Pacific (Ore.). Whitman will host Pacific on Saturday.