Hoops hooks way into Sweet 16

In a record-breaking year for the Pirates, Saturday’s second-round NCAA tournament match-up against Chapman University was no exception. The Bucs extended their winning streak to 25, the longest active streak for any men’s NCAA basketball team, after destroying the Panthers 77-56 in the Fieldhouse on March 6.

“We were definitely pretty pumped. It was a great environment,” senior post Nate Montgomery said. “Chapman’s the best rebounding team in the country and only had one Division III loss all year, so we knew we were going to have to play our best game of the season.”

Not only did the crimson and black find themselves atop the Northwest Conference after a 97-75 victory over George Fox University to take the NWC title, they have now moved one step closer to the NCAA Division III crown after Saturday’s win, and have held the position atop the conference leaderboard all season.

As a team, the Bucs finished the season leading the NWC in scoring offense, scoring defense, free throw and field goal percentages, assists, defensive rebounds and three-point field goal percentage.

But at 26-2 for the season, No. 4-ranked Whitworth will now face fiercer competition than the NWC has been able to provide. The Bucs will battle Eastern Mennonite in the sectional semifinals next weekend, and a win in the Sweet 16 game would be yet another step into uncharted territory.

As expected, the Panthers couldn’t stop Montgomery, who was 7-9 from the field and 9-11 from the free throw line, posting 23 total points and 14 rebounds.

The Pirates jumped ahead 21-6 early on in an effort led by the NWC Player of the Year. Not uncommonly, Montgomery looked strong in warm-ups and came out fighting for the Pirates, contributing 10 points early on to set the pace for the remainder of the match-up. That included a rim-rattling dunk that brought a deafening cheer from the massive crowd.

“I had a lot of energy to start the game; Felix and I wanted to establish some toughness inside,” Montgomery said. “That dunk was made to make a statement early.”

Although Whitworth never trailed, a record crowd in the Fieldhouse kept the Pirates alive after dipping to a slight 32-26 advantage over the Panthers at the half.

With just over eight minutes to play, senior guard Eric Beal and junior forward David Riley nailed back-to-back shots from behind the arc to put the Pirates safely out of striking distance.

The Eastern Mennonite Royals are ranked No. 10 overall and are second in the NCAA Division III in points per game, compared to Whitworth’s No. 8 ranking in that category.
The Pirates, however, outrank EMU in field goal and three-point percentage, as well as rebound margin and assists per game.

Contact Danika Heatherly at danika.heatherly@whitworthian.com.

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