FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Leading only 52-48 with 6:03 to play, Whitworth's defense shut down host Pacific over the final minutes as the Pirates pulled away for a 62-50 victory on Friday night at the Stoller Center.
The 2nd-ranked Pirates improved to 13-0 overall, 4-0 in the NWC and alone atop the conference standings. Following top-ranked Augustana's loss at 5th-ranked Elmhurst on Wednesday night, Whitworth has a chance to claim the #1 ranking in the next D3hoops.com top-25 poll when it is released on Monday.
The Pirates held the Boxers (8-4 overall, 2-1 NWC) to six total points over the final 11:09 of the game, pulling away from a 46-44 advantage. Whitworth came into the game as the NWC's top team in scoring defense.
The Bucs led virtually the entire game, jumping out to an early 11-3 advantage on Ben Bishop's basket. But the Boxers fought back to tie the game 22-22 on a jumper by Michael Joseph. Rafe King's layup with under two minutes left in the opening half gave Pacific its only lead of the game 26-24. Whitworth then closed the first half on a 9-2 run to take a 33-28 lead into halftime. Kyle Roach scored six of those final points and led the Bucs in scoring in the first half with nine points.
The Boxers got back within 36-35 early in the second half, but could never quite overtake the Pirates after Kenny Love answered with a three-pointer. After Joseph scored to pull Pacific within 52-48 with 6:03 to go, the Pirates outscored the Boxers 10-2 the rest of the way. Whitworth held Pacific to 1-13 shooting from the field over that final stretch to gain final separation.
Matt Staudacher led the Bucs with 13 points on 5-7 shooting from the floor. Roach finished with 12 points, Love scored 11 and Christian Jurlina had 10 in the balanced scoring effort. George Valle led the team in rebounding (8) and Love dished seven assists. Whitworth shot 39.7% (23-58) from the floor, including 46.2% (6-13) from three-point range. The Bucs were 10-11 (91%) from the free throw line.
Joseph was the only Pacific player in double figures with 12 points. Skyler Burgess led all players with 11 rebounds. The Boxers made only 33.3% (22-66) of their shots, including 20% (4-20) from beyond the arc. They also struggled at the free throw line, making only 2-7 (28%).
Whitworth returns to action next Friday night when the Pirates head back down to Oregon to face Willamette University.