ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Bryan Williams' three pointer as time expired in overtime lifted Whitworth to its first ever win in the NCAA Division III tournament as the Pirates defeated DePauw 62-59 at Washington University in St. Louis.

Whitworth (24-3) will now play host Washington-St. Louis (21-4) in the second round at 7:00 pm (5:00 PST) on Saturday. The Bears defeated cross-town rival Fontbonne 77-58.

Williams' three pointer actually saved Whitworth (24-3) from a possibly painful defeat. The Pirates led by seven points (51-44) with 1:45 left in regulation and by three points (59-56) with 1:40 left in overtime. Whitworth was 0-4 from the free thrown line at the end of regulation, allowing the Tigers (22-6) to come back and force a tie.

Williams hit the game winner at the buzzer

James Jones led Whitworth with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and it was his three pointer that gave the Pirates a seemingly comfortable seven point lead with under two minutes to play. Ryan Symes added 15 points and seven boards, while Williams finished with 10 points and four assists.

Austin Brown was the only DePauw player in double figures with 15 points. Stephen Schott grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

The first half went almost exactly as the Pirates wanted. Whitworth shot 60% from the field (15 of 25) while taking a 36-28 lead into the locker rooms. The Pirates held the Tigers to only 37% in the first half, but DePauw made six three pointers and grabbed six offensive boards to stay within reach.

Then Whitworth went cold. The Pirates scored only two points over the first eight minutes of the second half and only five points over the first 12 minutes. Yet the Whitworth defense prevented DePauw from taking a lead. The Tigers got within two points twice before the Bucs finally started making shots.

Jones led the Bucs with 18 points, 10 rebounds

After Whitworth took its 51-44 lead with 1:54 to play, Symes, Jones and Jon Young all missed free throws that could have iced the game. However the Tigers had some trouble of its own at the free throw line. Mike Moore had a chance to win the game for DePauw with seven seconds left and his team trailing by one. He made one, then missed, allowing the teams to go to overtime.

Similarly, in overtime Schott could have beaten Whitworth at the free throw line with 23 seconds to play and his team down by one. He also made the first and missed the second, allowing Williams to make his big shot. After a scramble near the basket, Jones came up with the ball and passed to a wide open Williams at the left elbow. His shot was in the air as the horn sounded and the ball hit nothing but net.

Whitworth, in only its second appearance at the national tournament as an NCAA DIII member, won its first NCAA tournament game. The Pirates fell to Gustavus Adolphus 65-55 in the first round in 2003. Whitworth had advanced to the NAIA DII championship in 1996 and the quarterfinals in 1998.