Depew, a 6-5 senior forward, scored 34 points to reach 1,809 for his career. He broke the record of 1,807 set by former Pirate All-American Rod McDonald (1964-67) with a pair of free throws with 5:31 to play. His free throws gave Whitworth an 80-53 lead, matching the largest advantage of the night. Depew made 10/17 shots, including 3/5 three pointers, and was 11/12 from the free throw line.
Although Depew was scoring his points, the Pirates (11-5 overall, 4-3 NWC) trailed early against Whitman. A lay-up by Jacob Pounds gave the Missionaries (6-10, 2-5) a 25-15 lead with 9:03 to play in the first half. Whitman still led 31-23 on a three-pointer by Cale Will when the Pirates finished the half with a 15-3 run to take a 38-34 lead into halftime. Depew scored seven of those points, including a three-pointer with six seconds left.
The Pirates used a 13-0 run early in the second half to turn a 45-42 lead into a 58-42 advantage with just under 13 minutes to play. The Pirates led by at least 15 points the rest of the game.
In addition to his 34 points, Depew finished with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. John Gebbers added 16 points for Whitworth and also grabbed five rebounds. Scott Bierlink scored 12 points and added six rebounds and six assists. Jon Young scored 11 points on three three-pointers.
Pounds was perfect from the field (8/8) to lead Whitman with 17 points. A graduate of Ferris High School in Spokane, Pounds added four rebounds in his final game back in his home town. Casey Nelson and Greg Caldwell each scored 11 points for the Missionaries, while Matt Airy came off the bench for 10 points. Caldwell was the leading rebounder, with five.
Whitworth and Whitman will both hit the road this weekend, traveling to play George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. The Pirates will play the Bruins on Friday night before the Missionaries visit on Saturday.
WHITWORTH 82, WHITMAN 65 WHITMAN (6-10, 2-5 NWC) Pounds, Jacob 8-8 0-1 17; Caldwell, Greg 4-11 1-2 11; Nelson, Casey 5-7 0-0 11; Airy, Matt 4-6 0-0 10; Ricker, Greg 3-5 1-2 7; Will, Cale 2-5 0-0 5; Kofler, Erik 1-3 0-0 2; Dalvit, Kyle 0-1 2-2 2; Parker, Nick 0-3 0-0 0; Born, Kyle 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-50 4-7 65. WHITWORTH (11-5, 4-3 NWC) Depew, Bryan 10-17 11-12 34; Gebbers, John 7-15 0-0 16; Bierlink, Scott 5-9 0-0 12; Young, Jon 3-9 2-2 11; Williams, Bryan 3-7 0-0 7; Wyatt, Kevin 1-3 0-0 2; Johnson, Robert 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 29-63 13-14 82. Whitman....................... 34 31 - 65 Whitworth..................... 38 44 - 82 3-point goals-Whitman 7-19 (Caldwell, Greg 2-6; Airy, Matt 2-3; Pounds, Jacob 1-1; Will, Cale 1-4; Nelson, Casey 1-1; Parker, Nick 0-2; Kofler, Erik 0-1; Ricker, Greg 0-1), Whitworth 11-29 (Young, Jon 3-9; Depew, Bryan 3-5; Gebbers, John 2-5; Bierlink, Scott 2-5; Williams, Bryan 1-2; Johnson, Robert 0-1; Wyatt, Kevin 0-2). Fouled out--Whitman-None, Whitworth-None. Rebounds-Whitman 29 (Caldwell, Greg 5), Whitworth 30 (Bierlink, Scott 6). Assists-Whitman 19 (Ricker, Greg 5), Whitworth 19 (Williams, Bryan 6; Bierlink, Scott 6). Total fouls-Whitman 16, Whitworth 13. A-976