Willamette to Take on Whitworth in NWC Semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 26

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University and Whitworth University will meet in the semifinal round of the 2015 Northwest Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 26 at Whitworth Fieldhouse in Spokane, Wash. Game time for the postseason match-up is set for 7 p.m. (PST).

Whitworth won the NWC regular season title at 15-1. The Pirates are 22-3 overall and are ranked #16 nationally in the D3hoops.com Top 25. Willamette clinched the fourth and final NWC Tournament berth with a 70-63 victory over Pacific University on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Cone Field House. The Bearcats finished 8-8 in the NWC and ended the regular season with a 10-15 record.

"The clinching game atmosphere was extremely special ... our players were dialed in, the fans were loud and engaged, and the energy in Cone Field House was amazing," Willamette Head Coach Kip Ioane said. "I thought it was the most complete game we've played all season, both mentally and physically. We just did what got us to this point ... compete our rear ends off and play defense."

In Thursday's other NWC semifinal game, Lewis & Clark College, the #3 seed, will play at the University of Puget Sound, seeded #2. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. (PST).

The semifinal winners will meet in the NWC Championship game on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the home court of the higher seed. If Willamette wins on Thursday, the Bearcats will travel to Walla Wall, Wash., to take on Whitman College or to Portland, Ore., to face Lewis & Clark. Willamette is involved in postseason play for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

All four teams are just two wins away from claiming the NWC's automatic berth into the 2015 NCAA Division III Tournament.

"We are the uninvited guests in the NWC tourney (the league picked us dead last) and we are playing with house money at this point," Ioane said. "We have zero pressure on us, and are excited to just let it all hang out and play confidently in a great environment at Whitworth."

Willamette enters the game with an 8-6 record in its last 14 games. The Bearcats finished the regular season 6-5 at home, including a 5-3 home record in the NWC. Willamette was 3-7 on the road (3-5 in the NWC) and 0-2 in games played at a neutral site.

Whitworth defeated Willamette twice during the regular season, winning 64-56 at Cone Field House on Jan. 2 and earning a 90-83 triumph in Spokane on Jan. 31. Willamette's top player, Brandon Luedtke (Jr., F, Meridian, ID/Mt. View HS), missed the first meeting due to injury, but scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the rematch.

Luedtke concluded the regular season ranked fifth in the NWC in scoring with 14.2 points per game. He is the NWC's leading rebounder with 9.6 boards per game and also ranks first in the conference with 2.7 steals per contest. Luedtke leads Willamette with 52.9% field goal shooting. He has recorded 10 double-doubles during the season.

In his three seasons with the Bearcats, Luedtke has scored 625 points, grabbed 476 rebounds and achieved 113 steals. He has shot 53.% from the field during his career. He was recently named First Team All-NWC.

Brendon McCullough (Fr., G, San Antonio, TX/Home Schooled) and Bridger Harlington (Jr., Wing, Lake Tapps, WA/Auburn Riverside HS) also have averaged in double figures for the Bearcats this year. McCullough is averaging 10.8 points per game, while Harlington is contributing 10.7 points per contest. Harlington leads the team with 42 three-pointers.

Nico Troplent (Fr., Wing, Los Angeles, CA/Cathedral HS) has tacked on 9.4 points per game. He has connected on 25 three-point shots and ranks first on the team in free throw shooting at 82.7% (43 of 52). McCullough is shooting 82.4% at the line (98 of 119) and leads Willamette with 2.5 assists per game.

The Bearcats have received quality all-around play from Kyle McNally (Sr., F, Salem, OR/Sprague HS) throughout the season. He leads the NWC with a school-record 62 blocked shots for an average of 2.5 blocks per game. In addition, he has provided 6.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.7 assists per game. McNally was chosen Honorable Mention All-NWC.

Willamette is fifth in the NWC in scoring with 67.2 points per game. The Bearcats rank third in free throws made (384) and are fifth in free throw percentage (68.9%). The team is first in the conference in blocked shots (3.8 avg.) and is second in steals (10.2 avg.).

Whitworth is led by two players averaging in double figures. Christian Jurlina (So., F) tops the offensive chart with 14.9 points per game. He also leads the Pirates with 5.5 rebounds per game and a total of 44 three-pointers and 46 steals. Kenny Love (So., G) adds 11.6 points and 2.6 assists per game, and is tied for second on the team with 36 three-pointers.

Love was chosen NWC Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Love and Jurlina both earned First Team All-NWC honors.

George Valle (Jr., G) produces 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 55.1% for the season (92 of 167). Taylor Farnsworth (Sr., Post) is averaging 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest for the Pirates, while hitting 67.8% of his field goals (78 of 115).

Whitworth ranks first in the NWC in scoring defense, allowing just 60.6 points per game for the season. The Pirates are third in the NWC in scoring with 75.3 points per game.

It's not surprising that Whitworth won the regular season title, since the Pirates are first in the conference in all three shooting percentage categories. They are shooting 47.1% as a team from the field, while converting 39.9% from 3-point range (193 of 484) and sinking 74.4% at the free throw line (377 of 507).

The Pirates have three players shooting at least 80% on free throws with at minimum of 25 attempts. Forrest Baker (Jr./So., F) leads the way at 88.9% (24 of 27), while Love is shooting 83.7% (87 of 104). Matt Staudacher (Jr., G) has connected on 80.0% of his free throws (24 of 30).