Sullivan Menard comes up clutch as Whitworth rallies for 78-73 OT win over Cal Lutheran in NCAA DIII Tournament
Whitworth’s senior duo again showed up in the biggest moments Friday night as the Pirates escaped with an overtime win over California Lutheran in a raucous environment in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Whitworth, coming off its third consecutive Northwest Conference Tournament title after defeating Whitman last weekend, struggled to find an offensive rhythm for much of the matchup. The Pirates kept the game within reach before taking down the Kingsmen in a 78-73 thriller in Thousand Oaks, California.
“It was a battle,” Whitworth coach Damion Jablonski said. “It’s what you’d expect in an NCAA Tournament game. … It was pretty awesome that our guys were able to withstand some of the punches they threw and stay in and make some big, big plays down the stretch.”
Down three with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, the Pirates (20-8) rebounded a missed free throw and looked to senior guard Sullivan Menard, who buried a 3-pointer to tie it up at 59 .
Whitworth had called the same play for Menard just minutes before. He hit the 3-pointer, but it was waved off due to an illegal screen.
“I knew that it was time for me to get a shot off,” Menard said. “I’m really thankful for that and knew that if I was going to get the ball, it was going to go in.”
On the other end with time running out, senior forward Jake Holtz blocked Cal Lutheran (23-5) senior guard Devon Lewis’ fadeaway jumper to send it into overtime.
The Pirates jumped ahead in overtime and held on to secure the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2020.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Menard said. “That was a super hostile environment – that place was packed.
“I’m super thankful to get out with a win. That was one of the most fun games we’ve played in.”
The Pirates snagged the victory despite missing senior point guard and NWC Player of the Year Jojo Anderson, who is dealing with an injury and has missed the team’s past four games.
The Kingsmen defense, which ranked atop the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, gave the Pirates trouble throughout the first half, frequently doubling Jake Holtz and guarding the 3-point line effectively.
The Kingsmen led 30-21 at halftime, the lowest-scoring half of the season for Whitworth.
“We’d been there before and it was still plenty within reach,” Jablonski said of his message to the team at halftime. “I thought we got some good looks, but a lot (were) early in the shot clock looks and I really wanted us to move the ball more and find a rhythm.
“Our guys definitely did that in the second half.”
With less than 8 minutes left in the regulation, Holtz asserted himself, scoring eight consecutive points to give Whitworth its first lead since early in the first half.
Holtz finished with 25 points and six rebounds. Menard racked up 16 points and five rebounds.
Junior transfer guard Garrett Long, again filling in for Anderson, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Senior forward Patrick Renane led the Kingsmen in scoring, putting up 17 points, and added five rebounds, but was limited to just four points after halftime.
Junior guard Brock Susko tacked on 14 points on seven shots while grabbing nine rebounds.
California Lutheran built upon a strong finish last year and had a successful season, taking the SCIAC regular-season title before falling in the conference championship game and receiving an at-large bid in the tournament.
Whitworth has a quick turnaround and will face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which defeated California Lutheran in the conference championship to receive an automatic bid, in the second round. Tipoff is at 6:05 p.m. Saturday.
Claremont knocked off St. Thomas (Texas) in the first round.
“We’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Menard said. “I think if we … go in there confidently and play together, and I think we’re going to get it done.”