Lewis & Clark’s men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament after the Pioneers won the Northwest Conference championship Saturday night in Spokane.One night after upsetting top-seeded Whitworth on the Pirates’ home floor in the semifinals, No. 4 seed Lewis & Clark this time beat No. 3 Whitman of Walla Walla 70-57 in the conference title game behind a game-high 20 points from senior forward Sam Henderson.Henderson scored five points in a row midway through the second half to turn a 41-38 deficit into a lead that the Pioneers would not relinquish. Lewis & Clark (15-12) closed by outscoring Whitman 32-16 in the final 12 minutes.Isaac Ticeson added 13 points, Mikey Medlock Jr. had 12 and Taien Jackson finished with 10 for the Pioneers.Grant Hunt scored 16 points for Whitman (13-14).It’s the first NWC title for the Pioneers since 2002 and the program’s fifth overall.Lewis & Clark only earned a berth in the four-team conference tournament by edging George Fox 85-83 in overtime on Feb. 21. The Pioneers entered the tournament a combined 1-5 against the other three teams: Whitworth, No. 2 seed Pacific Lutheran and Whitman. The lone win had come against Whitman, and the Pioneers took down the Blues again when it mattered most.Lewis & Clark will find out its first-round opponent for the NCAA Tournament during the DIII men’s basketball selection show, which is set for 9 a.m. Monday and can be live streamed on NCAA.com.– Joel Odom