SPOKANE, Wash. -- With a late-Sunday win at UC Santa Cruz added to its perfect start, Whitworth held on to 8th place in this week's D3hoops.com poll, continuing the team's highest ever rating as an NCAA Division III member.

Jon Young tied the school record for 3's in a game

Click here for the entire poll. (Through games of December 10th.)

Whitworth improved to 10-0 overall, now two games away from matching the best-ever start in school history. The Pirates began the 2002-03 season 12-0.

The Bucs were also ranked 8th in last week's poll, the highest NCAA Division III rating in school history.

Whitworth won 76-52 at UC Santa Cruz on Sunday. The Pirates ran out to a 20-3 lead in the opening minutes of the game before leading 40-21 at halftime. John Young (Sr., G, Tracy, Calif. - Tracy) once again tied the school record for three pointers in a game, making seven on his way to a game-high 24 points.

Annual Alumni Game: This week Whitworth will host their alumni on Saturday at 8:00 pm in the annual exhibition game. This year's team of alumni shapes up to be the best ever. All three of the Pirates' recent championship teams will be well represented. Former NCIC Player of the Year and NAIA DII First Team All-American Nate Dunham will return, along with Jeff Arkills and Louis Vargas of the 1996 Pirate squad that advanced to the NAIA Division II title game. Greg Jones and Tyler Jordan, members of the 1998 NCIC title and NAIA Division II quarterfinals team, will also be back. Members of the 2003 NWC title and first-ever NCAA tournament team will include NWC Player of the Year Bryan Depew, Gunner Olsen, Chase Williams, Scott Bierlink and Kevin Wyatt. Lance Pecht, the 2006 NWC Player of the Year, George Tucker and Antonio McClinon, all graduates of 2006, will fill out the squad.

A Much Needed Rest: Following Saturday's Alumni game the Pirates will not take the floor again until January 2nd, when they make a return trip to Northern California to take on UC Santa Cruz for a second time. Then they head to Oregon for contests at Linfield and George Fox on January 5th and 6th.