SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Whitworth defense clamped down on visiting Linfield and the Northwest Conference's leading scorer on Friday night, leading to a 70-43 men's basketball victory in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The second-ranked Pirates improved to 18-0 overall and 9-0 in the NWC, opening a two-game lead in the conference standings over Lewis & Clark after the Pioneers fell on Friday at Whitman. The visiting Wildcats dropped to 8-10, 4-5.
Whitworth held Linfield to 23% (6-26) shooting in the first half and only 16 points before the break. Perhaps even more surprising, the Pirates held K.C. Wiser, the NWC's leading scorer, to only a single point and no made field goals. Wiser came into the contest averaging 23.9 points per game.
Wade Gebbers opened the game with a three for the Pirates and Whitworth never trailed. Michael Taylor's (Brewster) three gave Whitworth its first double-digit lead of the game (19-7) with under nine minutes to play. Trailing 31-9, Linfield did not hit double-digits as a team until Zach Anderson drained a long three-pointer with less than three minutes to play in the first half. Whitworth went to the locker rooms with a 35-16 advantage.
The Pirates steadily stretched their lead in the second half thanks to 7-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Linfield got as close as 16 points twice early in the second half, the final time after another Anderson three-pointer pulled the Wildcats within 39-23. But Whitworth answered with a 13-1 run to put the game out of reach.
David Riley led the Pirates with a game-high 17 points, while Taylor scored 16 and Gebbers finished with 14. Felix Friedt scored only three points but grabbed six boards to lead the Bucs and also did most of the work on defense against Wiser. Clay Gebbers dished four assists.
Wiser was 0-6 from the field and made 1-2 free throws. He led all players with seven rebounds as the Wildcats held a 35-30 edge on the boards. Sergio Rosario was the only Wildcat to reach double figures with 10 points. Anderson made three treys for nine points.
Whitworth has a chance to open a three-game lead over Lewis & Clark when the Pirates host the Pioneers on Satuday night in the Fieldhouse. Linfield, still in the hunt for an NWC playoff spot, will play at Whitman on Saturday.