SPOKANE, Wash. — It was another big night for Ben Tellez who dropped 24 points on the road but it wasn't enough for the Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team to unseat Northwest Conference leader Whitworth University on Saturday evening, coming up short 76-65 inside the WU Fieldhouse.
 
The opening half was a slugfest with three lead changes and four ties as the two squads jostled for positioning. PLU (9-8, 3-5 NWC) built its largest lead of the night off a Julian Brown trey with 15:00 left in the first half but the host Pirates (14-3, 8-0 NWC) would battle back, claiming the lead on a three with 5:54 left before halftime. 
 
The game was a one point game with 2:10 remaining in the half before Whitworth mounted a 16-3 surge spanning both halves. The Pirates owned a four-point halftime edge before collecting the first 10 points of the second half, building a 14-point gap with 16:36 left in the game. 
 
Pacific Lutheran whittled the deficit to just six with 14:27 left on a Henry Smith layup but was unable to get any closer. The Lutes mounted one final charge, closing with seven off another Smith bucket, this time with 2:10 remaining but the conference leaders responded with a jumper and hit free throws down the stretch to remain perfect in NWC play. 
 
"Ben got us off to a great start offensively but while he was able to do that, we weren't doing what we needed to do as a team defensively to create any separation. That really caught up with us as our shot selection deteriorated as the game wore on and they continued to score at a fairly consistence pace," said Head Coach Chad Murray.
 
"They really out played us on the glass. We didn't meet the moment there and to top it off, we had a few spells in the second half where our offense was really subpar. Overall I'm glad we were able to keep it close enough to keep them on edge but I was disappointed with our lack of physicality and shot selection."

Tellez finished with 20 plus points for the third consecutive game, dropping 24 after canning five three-pointers on the night. Smith was a spark off the bench with 14 points while Charlie Kapranos filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The sophomore also had two steals and a block for good measure. 

PLU held a 16-10 edge in points off turnovers but was outmuscled in the paint with the Pirates enjoying a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint while also boasting a 46-31 rebounding edge. 
 
"We have a steep hill to climb here in the second half of conference but we're certainly capable of doing some big things in our final eight games. We'll begin that process on Monday as we prepare for another big road trip down to Portland."
 
The Lutes are back on the hardwood on Friday night, facing Lewis & Clark College at 7:30 p.m. in Portland.