Pacific Lutheran hands Whitworth first loss in Northwest Conference opener

From staff reports

The Whitworth men’s basketball team hoped for a better start to Northwest Conference play.

Whitworth guard Garrett Long lost control of a possession and committed a foul in the final seconds, squandering a chance to tie or take the lead during a 75-73 loss to Pacific Lutheran at Whitworth Fieldhouse on Friday.

The Pirates (9-1, 0-1 NWC) and Lutes (4-6, 1-0) traded leads 12 times. PLU went ahead with 1 minute, 57 seconds left after Ben Tellez’s 3-pointer.

Whitworth closed within one point on Jake Holtz’s layup with 17 seconds left and regained possession after PLU hit 1 of 2 free-throw attempts.

Holtz led the Pirates with 23 points. Long and Stephen Behil added 15 and 14, respectively. Tellez led the Lutes with 23 points, making 5 of 9 3-pointers.

Little separated the teams throughout the night, both attempting 59 shots from the field. PLU made 29 field goals to Whitworth’s 28.

Whitworth women

Whitworth 56, Pacific Lutheran 53: The Pirates (4-6, 1-0 NWC) held on to beat the Lutes (3-7, 0-1) despite a poor offensive game, shooting 29% from the field at Whitworth Fieldhouse.

Ashlyn Peterson led Whitworth with 12 points, hitting 3 of 16 attempts.