By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Ryder Hsiung (Jr., G, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) scored 14 points, including a trio of 3-point baskets, and Jack Boydell (Grad., W, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) add 12 points for Willamette University, but the Bearcats lost to Whitworth University 101-71 on Friday, Dec. 1 at the Whitworth Fieldhouse. It was the Northwest Conference opener for both teams.
Whitworth advanced its record to 4-1 on the season, 1-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 2-5 overall, 0-1 in the NWC.
Josiah Frank (Jr., G, Turlock, CA/John H. Pitman HS) provided Willamette with 11 points, as he joined Hsiung and Boydell in double figures. Kahiau Bruhn (So., W, Waimanola, HI/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama) recorded eight points for the Bearcats and led Willamette with eight rebounds. Boydell tacked on six boards.
The Pirates were topped by Jake Holtz with 19 points and seven rebounds to go with three assists, three steals, and three blocks. Jojo Anderson chipped in 15 points for the Pirates, while Sullivan Menard and Garrett Long each scored 15 points. Jerry Twenge was credited with 11 points. Whitworth shot 61.3% for the game (38 of 62) and registered 17 assists. Five Pirates each recorded three assists.
Hsiung provided the game's first basket on a 3-point shot just 14 seconds after the opening tip. Twenge scored on a jumper for Whitworth, and the teams continued to exchange baskets. Willamette held a 9-7 lead following a layup by Gavin Weisweaver (Jr., G, Boise, ID/Vallivue HS/Treasure Valley CC) with 17:22 to go in the half. The Pirates used a 7-0 surge to take a 14-9 lead. A turn-around jumper by Will Hurst (Fy., G, Washington, D.C./Episcopal HS) and an offensive rebound and layup by Bruhn cut the margin to 14-13.
A bit later in the half, Whitworth owned a 26-19 lead on a 3-pointer by Menard as the clock reached the 10-minute mark. Willamette erased the lead in about a minute-and-a-half with a pull-up jumper by Boydell, a 3-pointer by Hsiung, and a driving layup from Bruhn. Anderson put the Pirates in front 28-26 with a layup, but a 3-pointer by Frank gave Willamette a 29-28 lead at the 7:04 mark.
The Bearcats led by a single point two more times before a 9-1 run by Whitworth gave the home team a 41-34 margin with 4:01 remaining in the half. Willamette earned the next three points on the scoreboard to reduce the deficit to four points, but Whitworth ended the half with an 8-1 run to secure a 49-38 lead at the break.
Whitworth extended its lead to 60-42 by scoring 11 of the first 15 points in the second half. Anderson earned six points during the run, and Menard recorded the final two points with a driving layup at the 15:56 mark. The Pirates gradually pulled away.
Willamette shot 36.6% from the field (26 of 71) and made 6 of 24 three-pointers (25.0%). Whitworth was 8 of 19 from 3-point range (42.1%). At the free throw line, Willamette was 13 of 20 (65.0%) and Whitworth was 17 of 23 (73.9%). The battle on the glass was close, as Whitworth ended the night with a 39-38 edge in rebounds, but Willamette held an 18-10 lead in offensive boards. The offensive rebounds led to the Bearcats achieving a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points.
The Bearcats will play at Whitman College on Saturday, Dec. 2. Game time in Walla Walla, Washington, is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST.
