WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Whitworth used a 25-3 run at the start of the second half to pull away from Whitman, eventually hanging on to beat the Missionaries 84-72 on Tuesday night in a Northwest Conference men's basketball contest at Sherwood Center.

Jones scored 21 points to lead the Pirates

The win allowed the Pirates (21-3 overall, 12-3 NWC) to move a half game ahead of Lewis & Clark in the NWC standings. Whitman, which had won three of its last four, fell to 8-15, 4-11).

The host Missionaries opened the game with a ton of confidence, gaining a 31-23 lead on a put-back basket by Kyle Born. But Whitworth fought back to within 35-33 at halftime, led by a pair of three pointers from Jon Young.

Then the Pirates came out of the locker room on fire, using the 25-3 run to open a 58-38 lead. Whitworth hit five three pointers in that stretch, including three by James Jones. The Bucs took their biggest lead at 68-44 on a lay up by Bryan Williams with just under 10 minutes to play.

But Whitman would not go away quietly, pulling to within 81-72 with a minute left in the game. But the Missionaries could get no closer as the Pirates hit 3/4 free throws in the final minute.

Jones scored a game-high 21 points for the Pirates, while Williams added 17. Young finished with 14 points and that trio went 13 of 20 (65%) from three point range in the game.

Born posted a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds to lead Whitman.

Whitworth can wrap up at least of share of the NWC regular season title when the Pirates host Willamette University on Friday night. Whitworth came into the week tied with L&C (11-3) in the conference standings. The game will begin at 8:00 pm in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.