SPOKANE, Wash. – Off since mid-December, the Whitworth University men's basketball opens its Northwest Conference schedule with a pair of early-January home games this weekend. The Pirates will take on Willamette on Friday at 7:30 pm and then play Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday at 5:00 pm. Check the Whitworth men's basketball schedule for live links to this week's games.
Tickets: Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Fieldhouse for all fans. Tickets can be purchased in advance using the Hometown Ticketing App (www.whitworthpirates.com/tickets). Tickets are $14 for adults and $8 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Whitworth students, as well as faculty and staff, get free admission by using an ID number.
The Pirates: Whitworth completed its non-conference schedule with a 6-3 record after playing three games in California before Christmas.
On December 15th the Pirates led by 15 points at halftime and by 17 early in the second half before Pomona-Pitzer rallied to a 95-90 win in overtime. The Pirates took advantage of second possessions to grab a 46-31 lead at the break. But the Sagehens made 65% (22-34) of their shots after halftime, including 40% (6-15) from three-point range. Stephen Behil scored 26 points and had three steals for the Bucs, while Colton Looney added 19 points and six assists. Caden Bateman totaled 10 points and seven rebounds.
On December 16th Whitworth gave itself a chance to upset unbeaten and nationally-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with hot starts to each half. But the Pirates could not overcome 25 turnovers and 25 personal fouls in a 73-62 loss to the Stags. Whitworth trailed by 10 mid-way through the second half before rallying to within two points five minutes later. CMS held off the comeback by hitting free throws down the stretch. Behil scored 21, 18 in the second half, with nine rebounds while Looney added 20 points. Ben Nyquist totaled 13 points, four rebounds and five assists.
The Pirates bounced back to defeat Chapman University 86-68 on December 18th. Whitworth never trailed in the game, opening a 35-22 lead at halftime and leading by as many as 22 points in the second half. The Bucs made 50% of their shots from the field and outrebounded the Panthers 47-25. Behil posted his first double-double of the season with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Nyquist also scored 19 points, while Ty Edwards scored a season-high 14 points and dished three assists.
Statistically speaking: Through nine games Whitworth is averaging 82.2 points per game (third in the NWC) and allowing 71.2 points per contest (also third). The Pirates lead the league in scoring margin (+11.0).
Whitworth has been strong on the defensive side of the ball. The Pirates lead the conference in field goal percentage defense (37.5%), which ranks ninth in Division III. They also lead in three-point field goal percentage defense (25.1%), sixth in DIII. Whitworth also leads the conference in rebounds per game (44.8) and ranks second in rebound margin (+6.0).
Iron Man: Whitworth senior post Ty Edwards has started 84 consecutive games for the Pirates. It is the longest active starting streak since Whitworth Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame member George Valle started all 116 games of his career from 2013 through 2016.
Watch on FloCollege: Like the rest of the Northwest Conference, Whitworth's home athletic events will be steamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $116 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
Inland Northwest Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Bud Nameck, familiar in Spokane as the KXLY channel 4 sports director for over 20 years and the longtime host of the KXLY 920am Morning News, is in his 11th season as the voice of the Pirates in 2025. He was the voice of Washington State University men's basketball for 22 years and spent that same amount of time on the Cougar football broadcasts – the final three on play by play. He is a longtime resident of the Inland Northwest who began his career as the Sports Information Director and radio voice of Gonzaga University basketball and baseball in the 1980s.
The Opponents: Willamette comes into Friday's game 6-4 overall and 1-0 in the NWC, riding a four-game winning streak. The Bearcats came back from break with a 96-60 in over Douglas College from Canada on Monday night and they opened their conference schedule with an 81-61 win at George Fox on December 5th, which was the first win in their current streak. Michael Lenahan is in his third season as head coach and the team currently leads the conference in scoring average (91.6 ppg) while allowing 83.9 points per contest. Sophomore guard Tanner Overby averages 21.5 points per game and makes 58% of his field goal attempts. Junior guard Kellen Sande is one of only two Bearcats to start all ten games and averages 11.5 point while making 41% of his three-pointers. Whitworth swept Willamette last season, winning 88-65 at home and 81-63 in Salem, Oregon.
Pacific University is 5-5 overall and 1-0 in the NWC heading into a game at Whitman on Friday night. The Boxers returned to action with an 86-72 loss to Hamline (Minn.) on Tuesday night. They opened conference play with a 75-50 win over Linfield on December 6th. Pacific averages 85.2 ppg and allows 83.6 ppg under 8th-year head coach Justin Lunt. Junior guard Anthony Hrboka, the reigning NWC Player of the Week, leads the conference in scoring average (22.7 ppg) and adds 3.7 assists per contest. Junior forward Ryder MacKay adds 11.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg). Whitworth swept Pacific last season, winning 82-74 on the road and 88-65 at home.
Pirates picked to win: Whitworth is listed at the top of the 2025-26 Northwest Conference coaches poll with eight first place votes and 64 points. The Pirates are coming off a 22-4 record in 2024-25 and a Northwest Conference title with a 13-3 mark. Whitman got one first place vote and has 53 points for second in the poll. PLU and Puget Sound (44 points apiece) tied for third.
Two Decades of Dominance: Since the beginning of the 2005-06 season (over 19 seasons) the Pirates are 454-106 (.810), an amazing run of success matched by few other college teams at any level. Within the Northwest Conference, Whitworth has won 233 of its last 265 (.879).
Home-Sweet-Home: Whitworth has been stellar in the Whitworth Fieldhouse since the 1990's. During the decade of the 1990s and 2000's Whitworth won more than 84% of its home games. However, since the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the Bucs are 229-30 (.884) at home.
The Pirates have had two home-court winning streaks of more than 40 games since 1990. A 41-game home court winning streak from early 2009 until December of 2011 was the second-longest in Pirate history. The school record for consecutive home victories is 43, beginning during the 1994-95 season and ending during the 1997-98 season.
Road Warriors: As good as Whitworth is at home, the Pirates have been almost as good away from the Whitworth Fieldhouse over the last 14 seasons. Since the start of the 11-12 season, Whitworth is 134-44 (.751) away from home, 105-30 (.776) in true road games.
Coming Up Next: Whitworth will travel to Whitman on Tuesday, January 6th before playing Linfield on Saturday.
