SPOKANE, Wash. - No. 25 Whitman College battled back from a second half, double-digit deficit to nearly knock off No. 2 Whitworth University, Tuesday night in Spokane, Wash. The Pirates prevailed 95-89, in the Northwest Conference matchup that seemed to be out of hand early in the second half, but Whitman's resilience was beyond impressive on a night that things were not going their way.

Trailing by 12, with 15 minutes to play it would have been easy for Whitman (10-2, 2-1 NWC) to concede defeat and say, "Not our night," that was not the case; the team continued to battle. The Pirate lead had dissipated within five minutes. Seven turnovers and 14 points helped the Whitties fight back into the game that at one point was out of reach. After Whitman tied the contest 71-71, Whitworth (12-0, 3-0 NWC) used an 18-6 run to regain control and put the game away for good.

Tim Howell led Whitman with 20 points, while Christian McDonald poured in 13 with seven rebounds. Senior, Evan Martin and Philip Chircu combined for 27 points and 11 boards on a night the team shot 50 percent from the field, but just 5-13 from three-point land. The Whitties dominated points in the paint and second chance points, while also outscoring Whitworth's bench 30-20.

Whitman jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead to start the game with McDonald converting a three-pointer on his first attempt of the game and drawing a foul on a three-point attempt on Whitman's next possession. The Whitties went nearly four minutes before missing their first shot, as their lead remained at seven with just under 16 minutes to play in the opening half.

The Pirates gradually cut into the Whitman advantage before eventually grabbing a two-point lead with just over 10 minutes remaining. The game saw four ties and three lead changes during those final 10 minutes, but the Whitties were unable to keep Whitworth reined in down the stretch, as the Pirates entered the break with a 54-46 lead.

Midway through the second half Whitman stormed back to pull within striking distance of the Bucs. Jack Stewart buried a three-pointer and Austin Butler's steal-and-score tied the game 71-71 at the 9:15 mark.

Shots were hard to come by for Whitman over the next five minutes of the contest. Whitworth took off on an 18-6 run, putting the Whitties in a difficult spot with just over four minutes to play. However, Whitman battled to the end; converting free throws with 2:08 remaining that pulled the game back to single-digits, 89-81. Martin's offensive board with roughly a minute and a half to play led to two more points and cut the Whitworth lead to six, but the Pirates held off the Whitman cavalry for a 95-89 win.

Unfortunately the deficit was too much to overcome for the Whitties, who fought their way back into a game that many thought, was over early in the second half. Whitman travels to Pacific University on Saturday in a game that is set to tip at 6:00 p.m.