WALLA WALLA, Wash.  In the type of physical contest that you would expect being played between rivals, conference foes, and two of the top teams in the nation, it was the No. 1 Blues that rode a 23- 9 run to the victory down the stretch, defeating visiting No. 3 Whitworth 91 -75 in a Northwest Conference battle at the Sherwood Athletic Center.

Whitman's woes from both the free throw line and from beyond the arc were areas of emphasis in the first half, as Whitman (13 – 0, 5 – 0 NWC) failed to make their first 3-point shot of the contest until just under seven minutes were left in the first half when Trevor Osborne buried a three to reduce the Pirates' lead to 27- 21. The three was part of a 7-0 run for the Blues that also included a layup by Osborne and closed the game to within two before Whitworth used free throws and timely baskets to extend their lead back out to six at the half. Cumulatively in the first half for the Blues, they went 0-5 from the line, 2 of 16 from behind the arc, and committed ten turnovers.

It was not until the second half, where the bench, which outscored the Whitworth bench 37-13 in the contest, was able to get some momentum going in the game. The Pirates were able to withhold the Blues' attempts at grabbing momentum in the game for the first part of the second half until turnovers and steals finally allowed Whitman to take back control of the game.

After Jared Christy made a bucket for Whitworth to make the score 61- 57, Cedric Jacobs-Jones came back onto the court with four fouls and 10:33 remaining on the clock, providing the defensive help to turn the game around. On the ensuing possession for the Pirates, Austin Butler was able to pickpocket his man and take it back to the other end for a layup to cut the lead to 2.

After a loose ball down on the Whitman end of the floor, Whitworth's Ben Bishop was called with a flagrant foul against Tim Howell, who would make both free throws to tie the game at 61, and a successful inbound to Jack Stewart gave the Blues their first lead of the game since they were up 6-4.
After another steal from Butler, who had eight in the contest, he took it back down to the other end and hammered it home to force Whitworth into calling a timeout. Jacobs-Jones then had a put back on the ensuing possession to cap an 11-0 run that put the Blues ahead for good.

The Blues finished with six players in double figures, led by Joey Hewitt's 20. Butler filled the stat sheet as he continues to do, adding 14 points in addition to the eight steals, seven assists, and five rebounds in the contest. Howell (14), Jacobs-Jones (12), Osborne (12), and Darné Duckett (11) were the other players to finish in double figures in the game.

Whitworth forged an advantage at the free throw line to help maintain an edge throughout much of the game, dropping in 23 of 31 from the line compared to the 9-for-16 effort by Whitman. The Blues' 18-3 advantage in steals and 37-7 advantage in points off of turnovers were largely the difference in the second half.

Whitman will be back in action at home on Friday night as they host the George Fox Bruins in another NWC contest.