SPOKANE, Wash. – Jumping to a 15-point lead less than five minutes into the game, top-ranked Whitworth ran away with a 93-62 victory over visiting Pacific Lutheran in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The Pirates improved to 16-0 overall and 7-0 in the NWC.  The Lutes dropped to 10-6 and 3-4.

Kenny Love scored six of the nine points as Whitworth jumped out to a 9-0 lead just over a minute into the game.  The Pirates stretched their lead to 21-6 on Matt Staudacher's basket with 15:04 left in the first half.  Whitworth took its first 20-point lead when George Valle scored to make it 26-6 at 10:33.  The Bucs eventually led 47-25 at halftime.

Whitworth blistered the nets by making 59% (19-32) of its shots in the first half.  Meanwhile the Pirates held the Lutes to only 34.5% from the field.  PLU came into the game as the conference's best three-point team, averaging more than 40% this season.  But the Lutes were held to only 2-11 (18%) from beyond the arc in the first half.

PLU was never able to cut the lead to less than 20 points after halftime.  Whitworth took its first 30-point lead on Christian Jurlina's three-pointer with 11:20 to play that made the score 68-37.  The Pirates were able to play deep into their bench for most of the final ten minutes of the game.

Valle finished the game with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.  Love also scored 20 points and added three assists and two steals.  Jurlina totaled 18 points.

Whitworth hardly cooled off in the second half, finishing the game 34-61 (56%) from the field.  The Pirates were 9-22 (41%) from three-point range.

Bryce Miller led PLU with 19 points and nine rebounds.  Jared Christy added a dozen points and three assists.

The Lutes finished the game 21-61 (34%) from the floor, including 6-23 (26%) from beyond the arc.

Whitworth will take on Puget Sound (9-7 overall, 4-3 NWC) on Saturday at 6:00 pm.