SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Whitworth men's basketball team makes the turn in the Northwest Conference schedule 13-4 overall and 5-3 in the NWC. At the halfway point the Pirates stand alone in third place in the conference standings. Whitworth returns to Oregon this coming weekend, one week after losing 74-62 at Lewis & Clark, where the Bucs will take on George Fox (Friday at 8:00 p.m.) and Pacific (Saturday at 6:00 p.m.) Both games can be heard live in Spokane on KSBN 1230 am, and on the internet at KSBN.net. The Pirates' loss at Lewis & Clark gave the Pioneers a game advantage over Whitworth for second place in the conference standings. The Bucs led by 15 points early in the contest before the Pioneers rallied in the second half behind 10 of 17 shooting from three-point range. Calvin Jurich (Sr., P, Spokane, Wash.) posted his third double-double of the season with 20 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Ealier last week Whitworth jumped on Whitman 101-70. The Pirates shot 57% from the floor and 52% from three point range. David Riley (Sr., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) and Ross Nakamura (Sr., G, Moraga, Calif.) combined for 48 of Whitworth's points in the win.
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 have only two individuals leading the NWC in any statistic. The Pirates top the conference stats in scoring defense (64.5 points allowed), field goal percentage (49.7), field goal percentage defense (38.8), three-point percentage (39.2), three-point percentage defense (29.8), free throw percentage (70.7), and rebound margin (+7.8). 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 and David Riley are the only Pirates leading the NWC in any individual category - Nakamura in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.96 assists for every turnover and Riley in three-pointers per game (3.44). Nationally Ranked: For the last two weeks the Pirates have slipped out of the top-25 in the D3hoops.com poll and are listed with "others receiving votes". Whitworth finished second in the 2008 NWC Preseason Coaches Poll. Ross Runs the Ship: Ross Nakamura was a steadying influence as the Pirate point guard while leading the team to a 2007-08 Northwest Conference title. A transfer from Diablo Valley JC in Concord, California, Nakamura led all of NCAA Division III in assist-turnover ratio (4.1 assists per turnover) last season. He is averaging 10.3 points per game and has made 44% (27/61) of his three-point tries in 2008-09 (5th in the NWC), while leading the Northwest Conference in minutes played per game (35.4). He is currently first in the NWC and 7th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.96). Sharp Shooter: David Riley has taken his game up a notch as a sophomore. He leads the team in scoring average (17.3 ppg) and is making 55% of his shots from the field, including 49% of his three-point tries (55/113). Riley is the only player in the NWC currently ranked in the top five individually in both three-point percentage (tie for 2nd) and three-pointers made per game (1st at 3.44). He was named MVP of the JHU Blue Jay Invitational after scoring a tournament-record 34 points in the opening win over Brockport State and leading the tournament in scoring. In this season's win over Pacific Lutheran, Riley topped his career high with 37 points, 34 in the first half when he tied his own school record for three-pointers made (8) and led the Bucs to a 57-14 halftime lead. Big, Really Big: Whitworth's post combination has lived up to expectations. Calvin Jurich (6'-6") and Nate Montgomery (6'-8", Jr., P, Sammamish, Wash.) have combined to average 27.0 points and 14.5 rebounds per game. Jurich is second in the NWC in rebounding average (7.9) and is also a Pirate leader in both assists (2nd on the team) and steals (1st). Montgomery is second on the team in points per game (15.4) and has four double-doubles this season, the second highest total in the NWC. Live Stats: Live statistics of all games played in the Whitworth Fieldhouse will be available all season by opening the following link in your web browser:
The Opponents: George Fox comes into the week with a 6-11 record, 2-6 in the Northwest Conference. The Bruins earned an impressive 75-70 win at Willamette last Friday, then fell 81-74 at Pacific Lutheran in a hard-fought contest. Point guard Jack Martin is second in the NWC in assists per game and is tied for the team lead in scoring average with Alex Stockner at 14.1 points per contest. Whitworth won the NWC opener for both schools 94-60 on January 2nd when Calvin Jurich posted a rare triple-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. Pacific (7-8 overall, 2-5) will host PLU in a previously postponed game tonight (Tuesday) before hosting Whitman and Whitworth this weekend. The Boxers lost 93-59 at Puget Sound last Friday, then saw their 10-game home winning streak end on Saturday with a 63-62 loss to Linfield. Even so, senior forward Garold Howe is having an all-conference kind of season. He is second in the NWC in scoring average (17.5 ppg) and third in rebounding (7.5). In addition, Micah Mooney leads the conference in three-point percentage (56.1%). Whitworth outscored Pacific 26-4 over the final six minutes to pull away for an 82-51 win on January 3rd. Bo Gregg (Jr., F, Lewiston, Idaho) led the Pirates with 20 points and eight rebounds. The Coach: In seven season's 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 153-50 (.754) in his eighth season at Whitworth (190-75 overall in his tenth year as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau. 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 First Half of the NWC Schedule: "We are 13-4 and one of three teams in league play with a winning record. That is pretty good. The fact that every team has at least two wins, and only three teams have winning records in the NWC means there are no push-overs. Everyone is beating each other with the exception of UPS, who so far is the cream of the crop. If we keep improving we should be a very difficult team for our opponents down the stretch." On What is Needed for the Pirates to improve: "We need more consistency from each individual. The personal responsibility from each player to not just say, but produce, a consistent effort that teammates can count on every night out." On this weekend's schedule: "The NWC is tough. I have great respect for the Willamette program, but both George Fox and Pacific have beat them recently. We have our work cut out for us." Go to Athletics Home Page > Men's Basketball > Sports Releases > |
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