SPOKANE, Wash. -- Ryan Symes and Colin Willemsen scored 14 points each to lead Whitworth to a hard fought 62-57 win over visiting Pacific in the Northwest Conference men's basketball opener for both schools on Friday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

Willemsen came off the bench for 14 points

While the 18th-ranked Pirates never trailed over the final 30 minutes of the game, they couldn't shake a hustling Boxer team either.

Pacific (1-4 overall, 0-1 NWC) outrebounded Whitworth 39-32, but made only 34.4% of its shots, including a 29% (9-31) second half. The Boxers took 11 more shots than the Pirates (8-0 overall, 1-0 NWC), but Whitworth had the edge at the free throw line (11-14 to 4-6).

Willemsen scored 12 of his 14 points in in the second half. Eight of those came during a 10-0 run midway through the second period that turned a 41-41 tie into a 51-41 Pirate lead with 9:01 to play. It was Whitworth's largest lead of the second half, and it was answered by Ryan Turcott's three point basket.

A pair of free throws by Donnie Harrison-Davis pulled Pacific to within 58-54 with 2:12 to go, but the Boxers would not score again until Turcott hit another long three with under ten seconds left that cut the score to the final margin. Willemsen and Symes were 4-4 from the free throw line in the final minute to clinch the game for the Pirates.

Harrison-Davis led Pacific with a game-high 18 points on 6-23 shooting from the field. He made 4-14 three pointers. Kyle Motta added a game-high 10 rebounds.

James Jones was Whitworth's only other scorer in double figures with 12 points. Willemsen and Kevin Hasenfus each had six rebounds.

Whitworth will host Lewis & Clark on Saturday, while Pacific continues its Eastern Washington road trip at Whitman.