Bearcats to Travel to Whitman and Whitworth in NWC Men's Basketball

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

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's basketball team hits the road this weekend to take on Northwest Conference rivals Whitman College and Whitworth University. The Bearcats will take on Whitman in Walla Walla, Wash., on Friday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. (PST). Willamette will face Whitworth in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m.

A Live Audio webcast of both games will be available through Willamette featuring Mike Allegre as the announcer. You also can follow each game through Live Video provided by Whitman and Whitworth. In addition Live Stats will be available at Whitman and Live Stats will be available at Whitworth.

Willamette enters the road trip after winning two games last weekend. The Bearcats rallied from a 12-point deficit with just over 12 minutes left to defeat Pacific University 78-71 in Forest Grove, Ore., on Jan. 23. One night later, the Bearcats overcame a 30-28 halftime deficit to down archrival Linfield College, 67-53, at Cone Field House.

The Bearcats are 6-11 overall and in fourth place in the NWC with a 4-4 record. Whitman owns a 12-5 record and is tied for second place in the NWC at 6-2. Whitworth, ranked #21 by D3hoops.com, is 15-2 on the season and leads the NWC with an 8-0 mark. The Pirates are set to host Lewis & Clark College on Friday before taking on the Bearcats on Saturday.

Brandon Luedtke (Jr., F, Meridian, ID/Mt. View HS) tops the Bearcats with 14.6 points per game and is shooting 53.4% from the field (79 of 148). He leads the Bearcats and is first in the NWC with 9.2 rebounds per game and 2.1 steals per game. He missed four games in late December and early January due to injury, but has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games.

Second in scoring for the Bearcats is Brendon McCullough (Fr., G, San Antonio, TX/Home Schooled) with 11.6 points per contest. He has recorded 41 assists (2.6 per game) and 22 steals (1.4 avg.). McCullough has excelled at the free throw line, where has has converted 81.4% of his attempts (79 of 97).

Bridger Harlington (Jr., Wing, Lake Tapps, WA/Auburn Riverside HS), who scored a career-high 21 points in the win over Linfield, is averaging 10.2 points per game. He leads Willamette with 30 three-point baskets and is a solid 77.5% at the free throw line (31 of 40). He has reached double figures in scoring in 10 of the past 12 games.

The leading shot blocker in the conference is Willamette's Kyle McNally (Sr., F, Salem, OR/Sprague HS) with 42 blocks for an average of 2.5 blocks per game. He has 19 more blocks than anyone else in the NWC. McNally provides the Bearcats with a well-rounded game, as he is averaging 6.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Whitman possesses a balanced offensive attack with four players averaging in double figures and six players with at least 8.3 points per game.

Jackson Clough (Jr., G) leads the Missionaries with 14.5 points per game. He also ranks first on the team with 37 three-pointers and is shooting 42.5% from 3-point range. Matt Mounier (Sr., Wing) follows with 12.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Christian McDonald (So./Fr., G) has contributed 11.5 points per game, while Evan Martin (Jr., Wing/F) has scored 10.5 points per contest. Martin has achieved a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game.

Also providing Whitman with significant scoring are Rolaun Dunham (Fr., G), with 8.9 points per game, and Philip Chircu (Jr., Wing), with 8.3 points per game. As a team, Whitman leads the NWC with 85.5 points per game, well ahead of George Fox University in second place at 76.8.

The Missionaries also lead the NWC with 166 three-pointers and 9.8 three-pointers per game. Whitman is tied for third in the NWC with 37.6% accuracy on 3-point shots.

Whitworth has two players who own double-digit scoring averages.

Christian Jurlina (So., F) is the Pirates' leading scorer with 16.1 points per game. He ranks first on the team with 36 three-pointers and shooting 80.3% at the free throw line (61 of 76). He has registered a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game. Kenny Love (So., G) has scored 11.1 points per game. He has hit 55 of 67 free throws for 82.1%.

Matt Staudacher (Jr., G) chips in 9.2 points per game, while George Valle (Jr., G) adds 9.0 points per contest. Staudacher leads the Pirates with 44 assists and 2.6 assists per game, while Jurlina and Love each have averaged 2.5 assists per game.

Whitworth's top shooting percentage belongs to Taylor Farnsworth (Sr., Post) at 68.8% (53 of 77). Farnsworth is averaging 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while leading the Pirates with 23 blocked shots. Valle is shooting 53.8% from the field (56 of 104).

The Pirates average 76.5 points per game and lead the NWC in field goal percentage (47.8%), 3-point percentage (41.0%) and free throw percentage (74.9%). Whitworth has outrebounded its opponents by six rebounds per game (37.2 to 31.2).