SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University has completed the first half of the Northwest Conference basketball schedule with a 7-1 record and tied for first place in the standings with University of Puget Sound. The Pirates (14-3) have won eight games in a row, including three last week.
The last team to defeat Whitworth this season was Linfield College in the teams' NWC opener on January 4th in McMinnville, Oregon. The Pirates will face the surprising Wildcats (10-7 overall, 5-3 NWC) on Friday in the Fieldhouse at 8:00 p.m. Whitworth will host Willamette University (6-11, 4-4) on Saturday, also at 8:00 p.m. Ross Nakamura (Jr., G, Moraga, Calif. - Diablo Valley JC) continues to lead all of NCAA Division III in Assist-to-Turnover ratio. Nakamura sat out last Sunday's win over UC Santa Cruz, so in 16 games Nakamura has 82 assists and only 16 turnovers for a ratio of 5.1 to 1. 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. Early Start: The February 9th NWC doubleheader at Pacific University will begin with the women's game at 4:00 p.m. and the men at 6:00 p.m. The Pirates: Whitworth continued its hot streak with a pair of wins over the weekend, increasing the current winning streak to eight games. In addition to a Northwest Conference win over George Fox, Whitworth defeated UC Santa Cruz in the final non-conference win of the season. Whitworth never trailed in Saturday's 70-58 win over George Fox, but the Pirates were never comfortable either. After leading by as many as 16 points in both the first half and the second half, Whitworth watched the Bruins rally to within 50-45 midway through the second period. But Drew Bruns (Fr., G, Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Calvin Jurich (Jr., P, Spokane, Wash.) answered with back to back three pointers and Whitworth never trailed by less than double digits the rest of the way. Colin Willemsen (Sr., F, Moraga, Calif.) posted a career high with 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds for his NWC-leading seventh double-double of the season. Whitworth made 55% of its shots from the field (23-42) and outrebounded George Fox 33-24, while holding the Bruins to 40% shooting from the floor (22-55).
The following day Whitworth hosted UC Santa Cruz during the heaviest snow storm to hit the region in 15 years, according to local media. The Pirates started slowly, falling behind 22-16 more than halfway through the first period. But Whitworth rallied to take a 35-30 halftime lead and opened the second half on an 18-4 run. The Bucs eventually led by as many as 28 points late in the 83-57 victory. Three starters rested during the game, but Ryan Symes (Sr., F, Palo Alto, Calif.) picked up the slack. Symes scored a career high 33 points on 10 of 11 shooting from the floor (including three three-pointers) and 10 of 11 from the free throw line. Willemsen added 17 points and seven assists, while Tim Sellereit (Jr., G, Bellingham, Wash.) scored all 11 of his points in the second half while making his first career start. 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 (58.5 points per game allowed, 9th nationally) and field goal percentage defense (40.8%). In addition, Whitworth leads the rebounding margin category (+7.9, 17th nationally). Offense, Too: Also familiar is how efficient the Bucs have been on offense. Whitworth leads the NWC in assists per game (16.2) and leads in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.43 assists for every turnover, 2nd in the nation). The Pirates commit the fewest turnovers in the league (11.3 per game, 8th in the NCAA) as well. Therefore Whitworth shoots at a high percentage (47.3%, 2nd in the NWC) and when the team gets to the free throw line, the Pirates make a league-best 75.6% (17th 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 is leading the team in scoring with an average of 17.3 points and he adds 6.0 rebounds per game. He has added a three-point shot to his game this season, making 38% from beyond the arc. He has led the Bucs in scoring nine times this season and became the first Whitworth player during the 2007-08 year to win the NWC Player of the Week award on January 21st. 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 (12.4 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, 2.75 per game) and three point percentage (3rd, 48.9%). 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 (8.1 per game) and is second in the league lead in offensive rebounds (2.6 per game). Willemsen is also seventh in the NWC (second on the team) in assists (3.6 per game). Finally, Willemsen leads Whitworth and is seventh in the NWC in steals (1.5 per game). All of this goes along with a strong 13.0 scoring average (second on the team). His seven double-doubles this season to 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 fourth in the NWC in assists (5.1 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 (4.63 assists per turnover). His steadiness with the ball is matched by his shooting ability, as he ranks 5th in the Northwest Conference in three-point percentage (48.3%) 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.
On the Oregon Trail: Winning on the road in the Northwest Conference has always been a challenge and opening this season's NWC schedule at Linfield and Willamette was tough. But since the arrival of head coach Jim Hayford for the 2001-02 season, Whitworth has found success playing in the state of Oregon. Including this season's 1-1 mark, the Pirates are 23-9 (.718) in NWC regular season contests played in Oregon during Hayford's seven seasons as coach. The Opponents: Linfield College (10-7 overall, 5-3 NWC) stands alone in third place in the NWC, despite back to back last place finishes the previous two seasons. Linfield defeated PLU 89-78 at home last Friday before falling 83-77 on the road at Lewis & Clark on Saturday. The surprising Wildcats have senior leadership in Steve Taylor (Sr., G) and youthful enthusiasm in K.C. Wiser (Fr., P). Taylor averages 13.9 points per game and is a strong threat from three-point range (48% and 2.5 per game). Wiser leads the team in both scoring (14.5) and rebounding (6.6) average. On January 4th, in the NWC opener for both teams, Linfield handed Whitworth its last loss of the season by a score of 77-70 behind 26 points and eight rebounds by Wiser. Head Coach Larry Doty is in his 21st season leading the Wildcats. Despite struggling through the non-conference schedule, Willamette University (6-11 overall, 4-4 NWC) has thrust itself into the conference tournament picture. The Bearcats defeated Pacific 62-57 at home on Friday before falling to Puget Sound 90-75 on Saturday. Willamette continues to get great production from senior wing Mike Smith, who averages 16.5 points per game and makes 50.5% of his three-point tries. Junior post Kyler McClary adds 16.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to form a potent combination with Smith. The Pirates managed to pull out a 72-65 overtime victory over the Bearcats in Salem, Oregon on January 5th behind a career-high 26 points from Ross Nakamura. Head Coach Gordie James is in his 21st year at Willamette. 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 133-42 (.760) in his seventh season at Whitworth (170-67 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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