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Lance Pecht had 23 points and 12 boards

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Bryan Williams hit a three pointer that sparked a late 9-0 run and Whitworth College made sure history did not repeat itself on Friday night as the Pirates held off visiting George Fox University 79-69 in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

After Phil Heu-Weller pulled the Bruins within 61-60, Williams drained his three point shot that sparked a 9-0 Pirate run with just over three minutes to play. By the time Lance Pecht sank two free throws to give Whitworth a 70-60 lead with 1:25 to play, the game was out of reach for George Fox. The Pirates made seven of eight free throws in the final minute to keep the Bruins at arms reach.

Whitworth averted another comeback loss to the Bruins. After leading by 21 points in the second half of the teams' first meeting this season, Whitworth saw George Fox rally to force overtime and eventually win. In tonight's game Whitworth led by as many as 12 points in the first half and 10 points in the second before the Bruins rallied to take a one point lead on three occasions. The final time was 55-54 after back to back lay ups by Aaron Schmick with just over seven minutes to play in the game. Whitworth retook the lead on a three point play by Williams and never trailed again. The Pirates led 58-57 when the teams traded three point shots. On the next possession Williams hit his three that set off the decisive Whitworth run.

George Fox opened the game with a three pointer by Schmick and led 6-4 after a jumper by Chris Parker. But Whitworth went on a 12-2 run to take a 16-8 lead after a basket by Kevin Hasenfus. The Pirates stretch the lead to 26-14 following a free throw from Williams. But Schmick answered with a three pointer and George Fox closed to within 36-28 at halftime.

Pecht posted a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Pirates. Hasenfus added his own double double of 15 points and 10 boards. Jon Young made four three pointers to finish with 15 points. Williams added 12 points to go with five assists, while George Tucker also scored 12 points. The Pirates shot 50% from the field, sinking 26 of 52 shots as a team.

Schmick led George Fox with 21 points. Scott Szalay was the third player on the floor to post a double-double in the game, finishing with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. The Bruins got 16 points off of the bench from Heu-Weller and 10 from Ben Melvin. Brent Satern dished a game-high eight assists. The Bruins shot 41.8% from the floor (23/55), including 9/25 from three point range.

Whitworth's win improved the Pirates to 12-6 overall and 6-3 in the NWC. Whitworth broke a three game losing streak to the Bruins and remained undefeated (6-0) at home. George Fox dropped its fourth decision in the last six games and fell to 11-7, 4-5.

Both teams return to action on Saturday night. The Bruins will play at Whitman College, while Whitworth hosts Linfield College. Both games are scheduled to begin at 8:00 pm.