SPOKANE, Wash. – Jordan McDaniel hit the game-winning layup with 20 seconds left in overtime and then blocked a potential game-tying three-pointer nine seconds later to lead visiting Rutgers-Newark to a 74-72 win at Whitworth on Thursday night.
The Scarlet Raiders improved to 3-0 while the 17th-ranked Pirates fell to 1-1. The home loss was only the 10th for Whitworth in the last 119 games played in the Fieldhouse.
"This was a great battle between two hard-nosed teams," said Pirate head coach Matt Logie. "Rutgers-Newark provided a great early test for our guys. I was proud of the way our guys battled back and made plays to send it to overtime. But we didn't hit enough free throws or come up with the key plays at the end to pull out the win."
Rutgers-Newark returned five starters from last season's team that finished 20-9, but they won this one without their top-returning player in senior guard John Snow.
The Scarlet Raiders took the early initiative, grabbing a nine-point lead (14-5) on Chris Foreman's three-pointer just over five minutes into the game. Whitworth fought back to tie the game 15-15 on a jumper by Kenny Love with 10:09 left in the opening period. But then the Pirates went cold, missing their next six shots as Rutgers-Newark extended the lead back out to 22-15 over the next four minutes. Whitworth still trailed 26-19 after a three-point play by Christian Garcia, but the Pirates pulled within 29-26 at halftime thanks to a three-pointer by Christian Jurlina and another basket from Love.
Down six early in the second half, Whitworth used an 8-0 run to grab the lead. George Valle tied the game 36-36 with a tough inside basket, then hit two free throws to give the Pirates a 38-36 edge. It appeared the Pirates had seized momentum when Jurlina was fouled while making a three-pointer from the corner and then hit the free throw for a 46-41 Whitworth lead. But Rutgers-Newark answered right back and tied the game on a three by Darrian Collins with 11 minutes to play.
From that point there were five ties and three lead changes over the final minutes of regulation. Matt Staudacher gave Whitworth its final lead (60-59) with a three-pointer with just under a minute to play. But McDaniel answered with a basket 25 seconds later. After Doze Ikwuegbu made 1-2 free throws with 11 seconds left to give the visitors a two-point lead, Valle scored a tough inside basket with 4.8 seconds left to force overtime.
The Pirates struggled with free throw shooting all game, but never more than the first two minutes of overtime. Whitworth went 1-4 at the charity strip during that stretch, allowing Rutgers-Newark to grab a 67-63 lead on another three by Collins. Trailing 74-70 with nine seconds left, Jurlina scored his final basket with 00:03 to play to pull Whitworth within two and the Pirates appeared to force a turnover on the inbounds play. But they never controlled possession and the clock ran out.
Jurlina scored a game-high 20 points for the Pirates, adding four assists and two steals. Staudacher finished with 14 points and six assists, while Valle also had 14 points and led the Pirates with eight rebounds. Whitworth made 42.6% (26-61) from the field in the game, 30% (6-20) from three-point range. The Bucs made only 14 of 22 free throws (63.6%).
McDaniel led the Scarlet Raiders with 19 points, while Garcia chipped in with 17 points, six boards and five assists. Ikwuegbu finished with 10 points. David Azoroh was strong off of the bench with seven points, ten rebounds and six blocked shots. Rutgers-Newark was 26-53 (49.1%) from the field, 7-19 (36.8%) from beyond the arc. They made 15-24 free throws (62.5%).
Both teams have tough games straight ahead. Whitworth will host 13th-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.) on Saturday night, while Rutgers-Newark plays at Whitman on Saturday afternoon.