SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Whitworth men's basketball team solidified its hold on second place in the NWC standings by winning two of three road games in the span of five days. Now the Pirates will host Lewis & Clark on Sunday with a chance to clinch sole possession of second place and the right to host a first round game in next week's NWC tournament. But L&C comes into the weekend with a chance to win twice and share second place with the Pirates. In that case, the Pioneers will own the second seed in the NWC tournament based on head-to-head results against Whitworth. Whitworth heads into the game 19-5 overall and 11-4 in the Northwest Conference. The Pirates have a chance to make history. Should Whitworth win one more game, it will mark the first time in the distinguished history of Pirate basketball with four consecutive 20-win seasons.
Last Friday Whitworth cut a 14-point second-half deficit to four points with less than two minutes to play, but host Puget Sound went on to win 81-71 and clinch the 2009 NWC title. Tim Sellereit (Sr., G, Bellingham, Wash.) led the Pirates with 19 points. The following night the Pirates got 21 points from Calvin Jurich (Sr., P, Spokane, Wash.) and 12 points and 11 rebounds from Nate Montgomery (Jr., P, Sammamish, Wash.) to beat PLU 83-57 in Tacoma. On Tuesday Whitworth went to Walla Walla and came away with a 97-87 win over Whitman after opening a 12-point lead at halftime. Four Pirates reached 20 or more points, led by Jurich's 22. David Riley (So., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) posted his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Statistically Speaking: In a classic case of the "whole being greater than the sum of the parts", Whitworth continues to lead the Northwest Conference in several team statistical categories, yet has only a couple individuals leading the NWC in any statistic. The Pirates top the conference stats in scoring defense (66.6 points allowed), field goal percentage (49.8), field goal percentage defense (40.1), three-point percentage (39.8), free throw percentage (71.7), rebound margin (+6.0), assists (16.33) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.23). All of those stats point to the pillars of head coach Jim Hayford's emphasis with the Pirates - efficient offense and strong defense. Ross Nakamura (Sr., G, Moraga, Calif.) and Tim Sellereit are the only Pirates leading the NWC in any individual category. Nakamura leads in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.32 assists for every turnover, which also ranks 3rd in NCAA Division III, and in minutes played per game (36.26). Sellereit tops the NWC in free throw percentage (88.1%). Senior Sunday: Prior to Sunday's game, Whitworth will recognize its four seniors. Ross Nakamura and Tim Sellereit are two-year players in the Pirate program. Calvin Jurich and Steve Stockton (Sr., G, Spokane, Wash.) are four-year players with a chance to become the first Pirates to play on four consecutive 20-win teams. Live Coverage: The Lewis & Clark game is scheduled to tip off at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Online coverage includes:
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark is in the thick of the NWC tournament chase once again under 20th-year head coach Bob Gaillard. The Pioneers enter the week all alone in third place, despite dropping two games last weekend. On Friday L&C fell 73-65 at home to Linfield, while on Saturday L&C lost 60-58 at Willamette. The Pioneers can still tie Whitworth for second place in the final regular season standings by winning at Whitman on Friday, then beating the Pirates on Sunday. Seniors Tyson Pappenfus and David Berggren lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 and 12.6 points per game, respectively. Earlier this season L&C came from behind to beat Whitworth 74-62 in Portland. Because of that win, a win on Sunday would give the Pioneers the tiebreaker over the Pirates for the #2 seed in the NWC tournament. The Coach: In his eighth season leading the Pirates, Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford has averaged 20 wins a season for a team that can only schedule 25 games a year. Now 159-51 (.757) at Whitworth (196-76 overall in his tenth year as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau and the second-winningest coach in school history. Hayford has won three NWC Coach of the Year awards at Whitworth (2003, 2007, 2008) and led the Pirates to three conference championships. Coach Hayford's Quotes: On Whitworth's game with Lewis & Clark: "Sunday should be a great game against a well-coached team with a lot on the line. I expect our guys to come out and play hard." On the 2009 senior class: "Cal and Steve have been a part of four very successful teams. Ross and Tim have made great contributions in their two years as part of our program. It's been a great joy to coach these four guys." Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
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