SPOKANE, Wash. – Christian McDonald scored with 2.6 seconds to play to lift 11th-ranked Whitman to an 88-86 win over 3rd-ranked Whitworth in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Saturday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
The Missionaries (24-4), who are in the midst of their first NCAA Division III tournament, move on to face St. Thomas (Minn.) in the Sectional Semifinals at a site still to be determined. The Pirates (26-2), who were making their tenth straight trip to the NCAA tournament, saw their 27-game home winning streak come to an end.
Whitman was able to overcome a 14-point first half deficit by riding sophomore guard Tim Howell. Howell scored 25 of his game-high 32 points after halftime.
"You have to tip your hat to Whitman," said Whitworth head coach Matt Logie. "They made some difficult, contested shots, especially in the second half."
Whitworth's George Valle, the 2016 Northwest Conference Player of the Year, made several big shots as well and led four Pirates in double figures with 26 points. Valle's final game at Whitworth was his 116th consecutive start.
Kyle Roach's basket halfway through the first half gave the Bucs a 31-17 lead, the largest lead by either team in the game. But McDonald kept his team in it by scoring 12 of his 22 points before halftime. And when Austin Butler put back an offensive rebound just before the first half horn, Whitman had pulled within 46-43.
Whitworth went back up 52-45 early in the second half on Christian Jurlina's jumper. But that's when Howell took over, scoring seven consecutive baskets for the Missionaries and willing his team into the lead. When Evan Martin scored a put-back basket with seven minutes to play, Whitman had taken its largest lead at 75-70.
But Kenny Love, the 2015 NWC Player of the Year, hit back to back three pointers to give Whitworth the lead back and send most of the crowd of over 1,500 into a frenzy. The teams traded leads seven times from that point.
Howell's final basket of the game gave the Missionaries an 86-83 lead with 30 seconds to play and Whitman needed to make only one more stop. But Love nearly rescued Whitworth a final time, hitting a long three over Butler to tie the game with 13 seconds to play.
Unable to get Howell back on the floor as an offensive substitute, Whitman turned to McDonald. He took a pass near the top of the three point line and drove to the left side of the key where he pulled up over the Whitworth defense and hit the game winning shot.
Whitworth's long inbounds pass with 2.6 seconds left was intercepted and Whitman celebrated its victory on the Pirates' home floor.
Despite the pain of the loss, Logie was still pleased with his team's effort and the quality of the Pirates' play.
"You hate to see a team have to lose a game like that," he said. "But our guys came to Whitworth to play in games like this. It's a unique experience to play in the NCAA tournament, at home, in front of those fans. This game was two top-ten teams playing their best basketball of the season."
In addition to Valle's 26 points, Love scored 20 – 12 of which came in the final six minutes of the game. Jurlina finished with 13 and Drew Sears scored ten. Whitworth shot 55.9% (33-59) from the field, including 47.8% (11-23) from three-point range.
Howell finished the game 13-25 from the field and 6-9 at the free throw line as Whitman also made 55.9% of its shots from the floor. But the Missionaries hit 63.6% (21-33) in the second half. After McDonald's 22, Martin was the third Whitman player in double figures with 14 points.