Complete box score

TACOMA, Wash. – When it finally mattered most, Whitworth came through, as the visiting Pirates upset 3rd-ranked Puget Sound 90-80 in overtime on Saturday night in Memorial Fieldhouse to win the Northwest Conference men’s basketball tournament and pick up the NWC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Ross Nakamura

Whitworth improved to 22-5 while beating UPS (24-3) for the first time in three tries. The Loggers saw their school-record 19-game winning streak come to an end.

Ross Nakamura (Sr., G, Moraga, Calif.) led all players with 24 points, while David Riley (So., G, Moraga, Calif.) and Nate Montgomery (Jr., P, Sammamish, Wash.) each scored 18. Montgomery added a career-high 18 rebounds, while playing most of the second half and overtime with four personal fouls.
The first half was different in the teams’ third meeting of the season. Instead of facing a double-digit deficit as the Pirates had the first two meetings, the teams went to the locker rooms tied 34-34.

Nakamura carried Whitworth to the halftime tie by scoring 15 of his points before the break. He opened the game with a three and the Pirates were leading 10-7 after another of his threes when UPS went on a 9-0 run grab their largest lead of the game at 16-10 when Robert Krauel scored in the paint just over eight minutes into the game. The Loggers held the lead throughout the rest of the half until Calvin Jurich (Sr., P, Spokane, Wash.) scooped up a loose ball and hit a lay-up to tie the game 32-32. Nakamura’s runner from 40 feet at the buzzer nearly gave the Pirates the lead, but it bounced out. Krauel led UPS in the half with 12 points.

Whitworth, noted for its size advantage much of the season, had to go small with 12 minutes to play in regulation after both Jurich and Montgomery picked up their fourth fouls of the game. Despite the size disadvantage, the Pirates were able to stretch a lead to 57-50 on a short jumper by David Riley, then to 60-52 on a three by Tim Sellereit with 8:18 to play. Another Sellereit three gave Whitworth a 63-52 lead with 7:20 to play. But the Loggers scored the next six points and pulled within 63-58 on a dunk by Jason Foster with 5:15 left. During the run Jurich fouled out. However Whitworth continued to lead 67-60 when Foster left with his fifth personal foul with 3:30 to play and Montgomery made one of two free throws for a 68-60 lead.

But during the last five minutes the Pirates missed four three throws that might have pushed the lead to double digits and Antwan Williams nailed a three with 1:43 left to pull UPS within 69-65. On Whitworth’s next possession Williams stole the ball and was fouled on the breakaway, making both to get the Loggers within 69-67. Sellereit was called for traveling and Krauel made a three to put UPS ahead 70-69, the Loggers’ first lead since the opening minute of the half. But Riley hit a three from the corner with 28 seconds left to put the Bucs back up and Austin Boyce drove for a basket to tie the game with 14 seconds to go to force overtime. Sellereit’s driving shot in the final seconds bounced out.

Whitworth jumped to a quick lead in the overtime and when Riley hit a fall-away three-pointer with 1:07 left, his third of the game, the Pirates were up 85-78. Whitworth hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to seal the win. Nakamura made four of the freebies.

Foster led UPS with 19 points, while Krauel added 17 points and 11 boards. Williams finished with 12 points.

Whitworth will find out when and where its first round match up will be on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. The Pirates will be making their fourth NCAA Division III appearance.