SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University heads into the final week of the season tied for first place in the Northwest Conference men's basketball standings. The Pirates are two wins away from earning a second consecutive NWC title and earning the top seed in the conference tournament.
Whitworth will host Whitman College on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. in the final home game of the regular season. A win over the Missionaries will clinch at least a second place finish in the NWC. The Pirates will then finish the regular season at George Fox on Friday night, also at 8:00 p.m. On Tuesday night Whitworth will recognize Jerry Beverly (Sr., G, Pittsburg, Calif.), Ryan Symes (Sr., F, Palo Alto, Calif.) and Colin Willemsen (Sr., F, Moraga, Calif.) prior to the start of the last regularly scheduled home game of their careers. In addition, Ryan Symes is the current Northwest Conference Player of the Week. Symes totaled 46 points and 13 rebounds in the weekend victories over Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound. He made 64% (16-25) of his shots from the floor and 74% (14-19) of his free throws. Radio/Internet: All the Pirates' NWC games will be carried live by KSBN 1230 am and Bob Castle will call the play by play. In addition to the on-air broadcast, the KSBN internet simulcast can be picked up either on the Whitworth Athletics site, or at KSBN.net by selecting the "listen now" button. Also, Whitworth now offers "Live Stats" for all home games. The live stats link is: http://www.whitworth.edu/Athletics/Teams/Basketball/livestats/xlive.htm. The Pirates: Whitworth has moved back into a tie for first place in the NWC standings. And just, if not more, important is the fact that the Bucs currently hold the tiebreaker advantage over Puget Sound, should the two teams remain tied at the end of the season. Whitworth ended its first three-game losing streak in three seasons with Friday night's 76-66 win over Pacific Lutheran. The Pirates did not gain separation from the Lutes until a 6-0 run turned a 63-55 lead into a 69-55 advantage with 3:49 to play. Whitworth outrebounded PLU 42-28 and made 52% (30-58) of its shots from the field. Symes finished with a game-high 18 points, while Colin Willemsen posted his NWC-leading ninth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. But it may have been Calvin Jurich (Jr., P, Spokane, Wash.) who provided the most important spark with a career-high 14 points, making PLU pay for any time the Lutes double teamed Symes or Willemsen inside.
The following night the Pirates trailed by 11 points in the first half and 10 points at halftime before rallying to defeat Puget Sound 80-78. The win pulled Whitworth into a first place tie with UPS and gave the Bucs an important season sweep of the Loggers. Ryan Symes finished with 28 points and six boards, while Colin Willemsen added 20 points and six rebounds. Ross Nakamura (Jr., G, Moraga, Calif.) sparked the comeback with 17 of his 19 points after halftime, including 10 points during a 16-5 run that turned the 40-30 halftime deficit into a 46-45 lead. After shooting only 29% (7-24) in the first half, Whitworth made 59% (17-29) of its shots in the second half. The Pirates took great care of the ball, committing only nine turnovers against a UPS defense that forces a league-best 23 turnovers per game. DEFENSE: Despite four new starters this season, the way the Pirates are winning should look very familiar to Whitworth fans. The Bucs have taken their usually tough defense up a notch this year, leading the NWC in both scoring defense (63.0 points per game allowed) and field goal percentage defense (42.1%). In addition, Whitworth leads the rebounding margin category (+6.3). Offense, Too: Also familiar is how efficient the Bucs have been on offense. Whitworth averages 15.0 assists per game and leads the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.40 assists for every turnover, 4th in the nation). The Pirates commit the fewest turnovers in the league (10.7 per game, 7th in the NCAA) as well. And when the team gets to the free throw line, the Pirates make a league-best 76.6% (11th in the NCAA). Steady Symes: Ryan Symes is providing the solid leadership that was expected of the team's only returning starter and a returning First Team All-NWC selection. The 6-5 forward has become a Northwest Conference Player of the Year candidate and is leading the team in scoring with an average of 18.5 points (4th in the NWC). He adds 6.3 rebounds per game (9th in the NWC). He has added a three-point shot to his game this season, making 34% from beyond the arc. He has led the Bucs in scoring 14 times this season and has been named NWC Player of the Week twice (January 21st and this week). Frosh Phenom: David Riley (Fr., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) is having a breakthrough freshman season. The 6-5 guard is third on the team in scoring (11.5 points per game). He has been deadly from three point range, and is the only player in the Northwest Conference to rank in the top five of the league stat leaders in both three-pointers made (5th, 2.45 per game) and three point percentage (5th, 42.2%). In Whitworth's second game of the season, he broke the school record for three-pointers made in a game when he was 8 for 13 in the win over Caltech. The previous record of seven in a game was shared by three players. Riley has led the Pirates in scoring four times this season.
"Will"-do-it-all: One of the best sixth-men in the NWC last season, Colin Willemsen has been the do-everything player as a starter for the Pirates this year. Willemsen leads the team and is second in the NWC in rebounding (7.9 per game) and is second in the league in offensive rebounds (2.6 per game). Willemsen is also seventh in the NWC (second on the team) in assists (3.39 per game). Finally, Willemsen leads Whitworth and is 11th in the NWC in steals (1.22 per game). All of this goes along with a strong 13.6 scoring average (second on the team). His nine double-doubles this season lead the NWC. Ross Runs the Ship: Even before his breakthrough performance (26 points) in a win at Willamette on January 5th, Ross Nakamura had been a steadying influence as the Pirate point guard this season. A transfer from Diablo Valley JC in Concord, California, Nakamura is fifth in the NWC in assists (4.9 per game). Perhaps more telling about Nakamura's play this season, he leads the NWC and all of NCAA Division III in assist-turnover ratio (4.32 assists per turnover). His steadiness with the ball is nearly matched by his shooting ability, as he ranks 6th in the Northwest Conference in three-point percentage (41.7%) this season. Nearly Last: There is one category in which the Pirates nearly rank last in NCAA Div. III. Whitworth was the second-to-last NCAA Division III team to play a scheduled home game this season when the Bucs hosted Lewis & Clark in the Fieldhouse on January 11th. Only Lawrence College (Wis.) played its first home game later (by one day, opening on January 12th). However, the Vikings only played seven games to that point, while Whitworth played 10 games before getting to play at home. Neither Whitworth or Lawrence can complain much, however, when compared to UC Santa Cruz. Because of refurbishing of their gym, the Banana Slugs will not play a home game this season.
The NWC Tournament: Winning the Northwest Conference basketball title is fairly simple. The team or teams that finish atop the final standings are considered conference champions. However, the NWC, like most NCAA Division III leagues, awards its automatic NCAA playoff bid to the champion of its post-season tournament. The conference has constructed a tournament that strongly favors the regular season champion. On Thursday the 28th of February, the third-place team, or seed (in case of tie), will travel to play at the second-place team or seed. The winner of that game will play for the tournament title at the home court of the regular season champion, or top seed, on Saturday March 1st for the automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III tournament. The Opponents: Whitman College (5-17 overall, 1-13 NWC) comes into Tuesday night's game having picked up its first conference win over the season on Saturday with a 75-71 victory over Pacific Lutheran. On Friday the Missionaries were beaten by Puget Sound 104-67. Whitman guard Chris Faidley is having an all-conference season, leading the league in scoring (22.6 ppg) and adding 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Graham Brewer, a 6-7 post, provides a solid inside presence and averages 11.8 points per game. On January 22nd Whitworth went to Whitman and defeated the Missionaries 85-68 behind Colin Willemsen's 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Pirates have won 17 straight meetings with the Missionaries. George Fox University (8-15 overall, 4-10 NWC) hosts Whitworth and Whitman to conclude its season. The Bruins were beaten 90-48 at Lewis & Clark last Friday, then fell 73-71 at home to Pacific on Saturday. Brent Satern is a top-notch point guard, averaging a league-best 5.65 assists per game to go along with 14.9 points per contest. Evan Atwater adds 14.6 points per game and makes 37% of his three-point attempts. Colin Willemsen had 24 points and 10 rebounds when Whitworth defeated George Fox 70-58 in Spokane on January 26th. The Coach: Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford became the fastest coach in Pirate history to record his 100th victory as head coach of the Bucs with a win over Whittier on November 25th of last season. Now 136-45 (.751) in his seventh season at Whitworth (173-70 overall in eight years as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau. Hayford has won two NWC Coach of the Year awards at Whitworth (2003, 2007) and led the Pirates to a pair of conference championships. Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
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