SPOKANE, Wash. – Senior Connor Martin and sophomore Kobe Kirk combined for 46 points for the St. Olaf College men's basketball team in an 88-81 loss to Whitworth University to close out the Oles' West Coast trip on Saturday at Whitworth Fieldhouse.

Kirk scored 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting and Martin added 21 points on 9-for-12 from the field for St. Olaf (0-2), which shot 57.1 percent (32-for-56) from the field in the game. Whitworth (1-1) hit 59.3 percent (32-for-54) of its shots and had three student-athletes with at least 17 points in the victory.

In a game that featured 14 lead changes and 10 ties, the Oles held the lead for 19:25 while the Pirates were on top for 17:22, as both teams were sharp offensively early in the season. Jake Holtz (23), Jojo Anderson (22), and Sullivan Menard (17) combined for 62 of Whitworth's 88 points to lead the Pirates to their third win in the series' three meetings (all since 2016).

Kirk scored seven-straight St. Olaf points to close a 13-6 start to the game for the Oles over the first five minutes of the game. Later, he added a pair of free throws and a jumper to keep St. Olaf up by seven at 17-10. A three-pointer by junior Dashiel Walker followed by a jumper by Martin gave the Oles their largest lead of the game at 32-23 with 4:53 left before the Pirates scored 18 of the half's final 27 points to get within two at the half.

Kirk and Martin combined for 27 of St. Olaf's 38 second-half points, but it wasn't enough, as Whitworth shot 18-for-27 (66.7 percent) after the break to score 47 in the half. The largest lead for either team in the second half was three points until Menard hit back-to-back three-pointers, including a four-point play on the second make, to give the Pirates a 69-64 lead with 9:17 remaining. Menard followed with a three-point play on Whitworth's next possession to score 10-straight points for the hosts, who led by at least four the rest of the way.

The Oles return home to take on UW-Stevens Point in their home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Bob Gelle Court.