Men’s Basketball Crowned NWC Champions

Men’s basketball went on an incredible run this year to win the 2025 Northwest Conference Tournament. A year after finishing ninth out of nine teams in the conference, the Pioneers won the NWC title and reached the NCAA DIII Tournament for the first time since 2003.

Led by their eight seniors, men’s basketball put together a strong regular season to earn their first trip to the NWC Tournament since 2015. Lewis & Clark went 9-7 in conference play and earned sweeps of Pacific, Linfield, and George Fox. They clinched their spot in the postseason with a thrilling 85-83 overtime win at George Fox in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Senior Isaac Ticeson delivered a career-high 30 points in the win.

Jump Shot: Led by eight seniors, the men's basketball team beat No. 3 Whitman to win the Northwest Conference title, earning a trip to nationals for the first time in over 20 years.
Credit: Caleb Flegel

In the four-team NWC Tournament, the Pioneers were the four-seed and upset No. 1 Whitworth 71-64 in the NWC Semifinals. Seniors Mikey Medlock Jr. and Sam Henderson combined for 41 points to help Lewis & Clark snap a 20-game losing streak to the Pirates and end Whitworth’s streak of reaching the NWC title game in 22 straight seasons. Lewis & Clark took on No. 3 Whitman College in the finals. Men’s basketball used a 17-7 second-half run to take control of the game and held on for the program’s fifth NWC Tournament title. Henderson (20 points), Ticeson (13 points), Medlock (12 points), and junior Taien Jackson (10 points) all finished with scoring in the double digits against Whitman.

While they would ultimately fall 67-50 to No. 14 University of St. Thomas (Texas) in the NCAA first round, the season still will go down as one of the program’s best this century.