ATLANTA, Ga. – The Whitworth University men's basketball team proved once again that it isn't about how you start, but how you finish. After a sluggish opening half of today's NCAA Division III first round tournament game at Emory University, the 13th-ranked Pirates outscored LaGrange College 45-17 in the second period on the way to an 88-60 win over the Panthers.
With tonight's win, Pirate head coach Matt Logie became the first men's basketball coach in Division III history to pick up his 100th career victory in only his fourth season.
George Valle led five Whitworth (25-3) players in double figures with a season-high 24 points and eight rebounds. He was key to the Pirates staying within range when the first half was not going Whitworth's way.
Trailing 11-10 just over seven minutes into the first half, LaGrange (17-12) got a four-point play from Mark Wagner and a three-pointer from Alex Bonner to take a 17-11 lead. The Panthers eventually extended their lead to 27-18 on a tip-in by Adolphus Ford with seven minutes to go before halftime. At that point the Pirates had missed their first eight shots from three-point range.
But Valle scored 18 of his points in the first period to help Whitworth rally. And the Bucs began to hit three-pointers, beginning with Derek Isaak's shot from the corner that went around the rim, up out of the basket and back in again that cut the margin to 33-31. Valle's three-pointer cut the lead to one point (35-34) with 3:51 to go. And then as he did in the Northwest Conference Tournament championship game, Kenny Love hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game 43-43.
"Well it was great to end the half with some momentum, especially since we didn't shoot well early," Logie said.
Whitworth shot 46% (17-37) in the first half and improved to 4-13 from three-point range after the 0-8 start. LaGrange made 52% (15-29), including 6-11 from beyond the arc.
But the strong first half finish carried over to the second half. Whitworth opened the half on a 14-5 run and never looked back. Matt Staudacher hit all three of his three-pointers during that run to open the second period. Christian Jurlina's three-pointer extended the lead to 65-54, sparking an 18-3 run that put the game away. By the time Adam Wilks finished off his five straight points at the end of that run, the Pirates led 80-57 with just under four minutes to play.
The second half was a much different story for Whitworth, especially on defense. The Pirates held the Panthers to 17 points and 19% (4-21) shooting after halftime. LaGrange went 0-5 from beyond the arc. Whitworth also forced 11 second-half turnovers, including nine steals after the break. Meanwhile the Bucs shot 58% (14-24), including 4-7 from three-point range.
"Our defense in the second half was terrific," Logie said. "We did a much better job of closing down driving lanes and having active hands."
Valle made 11 of 15 from the field for his 24 points. In addition to grabbing eight rebounds, he also led the team with four steals. Jurlina finished with 17 points and six boards. Staudacher, Love and Wilks all scored 11. Taylor Farnsworth grabbed a game-high nine rebounds as Whitworth finished with a 44-27 edge on the boards.
Justyn Olson scored 19 points to lead LaGrange. Nick Mitchell added 12 for the Panthers.
The win is the largest ever, in terms of margin of victory, for Whitworth in the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates are now 12-9 all-time in their 10th overall appearance.