Whitworth men pull away from Whitman in second half

Whitworth allowed Whitman a modicum of hope at halftime.

The Pirates were quick to take it away in the second half.

Whitworth scored the first 12 points after the break to blow open a competitive contest, and the 15th-ranked Pirates collected an 82-71 win over Whitman in a Northwest Conference men’s basketball game at the Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

JT McDermott scored 21 points, and Miguel Lopez and Liam Fitzgerald each added 14 for Whitworth (7-1, 2-0 NWC). Jordan Lester chipped in with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

A McDermott layup gave the Pirates a 37-21 lead with 4 minutes remaining in the first half, but Whitman scored 11 of the next 16 points to trail 42-32 at halftime.

McDermott scored eight of his points in the game-breaking run to open the second half, including a three-point play for a 54-32 cushion with 16:44 left. Whitman got as close as 66-57 with 8:15 left.

Nikola Trifunovic paced the Blues (2-6, 1-1) with 23 points.