TACOMA, Washington – The drought is over. For the first time since March 2009, the Puget Sound men's basketball team beat No. 12 Whitworth, 87-72, in Memorial Fieldhouse Saturday night. It was the final game of the regular season, and the Loggers needed the win to clinch a bid for the Northwest Conference Tournament. Puget Sound will play at No. 1 Whitman Thursday, Feb. 21, for the first round of the playoffs. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Before tipoff Saturday, the Loggers honored their senior guards playing in their final game in Memorial Fieldhouse: Gabriel Chaikin and Jimmy Wohrer.

A 3-pointer by Max Basile with 3:44 left in the first half gave the Loggers a 35-33 lead, and Puget Sound held the lead for the rest of the game.

In fact, the Loggers led by more than one possession for the majority of the second half. Thirty second into the second period, Whitworth cut its deficit to 44-42, but Cal Hansen answered back with a layup. 

The Pirates got to within 48-45, but Wohrer drilled a 3-pointer to give the Loggers a six-point lead with 17:39 on the clock. Whitworth got within three points again, 54-51, but Stellan Roberts hit a pair of free-throws with 15:19 left in regulation. 

The final time it was a one-possession Logger lead was at 12:58, 61-58. A subsequent layup by AJ Johnson put the Loggers ahead by five, and Whitworth didn't get within three points for the rest of the game. 

Wohrer led all players in scoring with 29 points, and Roberts added 19. Basile netted 10 points, and Hansen finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.