PORTLAND, Ore. – Colton McCargar came off of the bench for 18 points to lead sixth-ranked Whitworth to a 78-66 victory at Lewis & Clark on Saturday night at the Pamplin Sports Center.
McCargar tied his career high set earlier in the season to help the Pirates improve to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the Northwest Conference. It was Whitworth's 12th straight win.
"I love the balance our team has," said Whitworth head coach Matt Logie. "Each night it could be a different guy the opponent should have keyed on and that is very difficult for them to prepare for."
The Pirates never trailed, jumping to out to a quick 11-2 lead after a three-pointer by Mack Larkin. Whitworth grabbed its largest lead of the half at 28-16 on a pair of free throws by George Valle. The Pioneers (7-6, 1-3) did not go away, however, and got back within 28-23 following a James Hollins layup. The Pirates took a 36-26 lead into the locker rooms. L&C shot only 32% (9-28) from the field in the first half.
"We did a great job defensively in the first half, which was a tribute to our execution level," Logie said.
Whitworth led by as many as 14 points on three occasions over the first ten minutes of the second half, the final time at 58-44 following a free throw by Zach Payne. But again L&C made a run, closing to within 66-60 on two free throws by Connor Freeberg. The Pirates were able to hold off the comeback by making 8/8 from the free throw line in the final 1:23 and getting layups from Dustin McConnell and Mack Larkin.
Whitworth's dominated in the paint against L&C, where the Pirates outscored the Pioneers 34-16. In addition, Whitworth went to the free throw line 28 times, where they made a season-high 24 attempts.
McCargar's 18 points tied the career high he set earlier this season in a win over Puget Sound. He added six rebounds and a pair of steals. McConnell posted a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Larkin finished with ten points. Robbie Douglas also had a big game off of the bench, with eight points.
"Robbie and Colton gave great minutes and a scoring spark off of the bench, which was terrific," Logie said.
Dexter Pierce made five three-pointers off of the bench to lead Lewis & Clark with 17 points. Hollins added 14 and Freeberg scored 10.
Whitworth will host Whitman (9-4, 3-1) on Tuesday night in another Northwest Conference contest.