Seeing its first game action of the season, the Whitman men's basketball team was no match for NCAA Div. I Utah in a Saturday night exhibition, falling 77-54 before 8,400 fans at the Hunstman Center in Salt Lake City.
Jumpers by senior Greg Ricker and Erick Kofler gave the Missionaries early 2-0 and 4-0 leads, but the Utes soon took control and led the rest of the way. Ricker closed out the first half with a layup to pull Whitman to within 11 points at 38-27.
Matt Kelly, another of Whitman's seniors, canned a pair of three-pointers early in the second half to trim Utah's lead to seven points, 40-33. The Utes scored the next six points and kept its lead in double digists for the remainder of the game.
Whitman junior Ian Warner led the Missionaries in scoring with 13 points, hitting four of eight shots from the three-point stripe. Kelly finished with nine points and three steals, while Ricker combined eight points with eight assists and five rebounds. Kofler and sophomore Aaron Hazel snared six boards each to lead the Missionary rebounding effort.
Freshman Chris Faidley nailed a pair of three-pointers for Whitman. One of Whitman's starters, junior forward Kyle Born, missed the game due to a stress fracture in his left foot.
Bryant Markson, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, paced the Utes with 21 points and seven rebounds. A year ago, Utah won the Mountain West Conference title and advanced as to the NCAA regionals, losing to Kentucky. Gone from last year's Utah roster, howevber, is 7-foot Australian Andrew Bogut, who averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 rebounds last season and was taken by the Milwaukee Bucks as the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
With five players scoring in double figures, including a 26-point performence by senior guard Matt Kelly, the Whitman men's basketball team downed the Whitman Alumni 86-71 Saturday night in an exhibition game.
Kelly, whose 26 points came on 11-15 shooting, also collected four rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Ian Warner, who got off to a hot start by hitting two three-pointers, ended with 14 points and three steals. Newcomer Chris Faidley hit four three-point buckets to give him 12 points on the night, and post players Aaron Hazel and Erik Kofler chipped in with 10 pointes each. Kofler also ripped down eight rebounds. Senior point guard Greg Ricker had a nice night with eight assists.
The Alumni started slow but finished strong, outscoring Whitman 49-45 in the second half. The Alums were led by Todd Hendry '00 and Jimmy Hill '01, who scored 13 points each. Rob Bell '02 was a force inside with eight points and 10 rebounds. Dennis McNabb also had a good low-post night with nine points and eight boards.
The Alumni grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and out-boarded the Missionaries 42-36. Whitman shot a sizzling 55 percent in the first half, however, to put the game out of reach early. Kelly, Warner and Faidley each had four three-pointers for Whitman, while Hill and Hendry had three each for the Alumni.
The Whitman men's basketball team opened its season with a hard-fought 70-67 victory over Montana Tech Sunday afternoon in Sherwood Center. The loss dropped the NAIA Div. I Orediggers to 3-4 on the season.
The two teams traded early runs, keeping the game close in the first half. Hot-shooting Montana Tech took a 13-6 lead at the outset, only to see the Missionaries answer back with a 15-9 run highlighted by three Matt Kelly jumpers. That pulled Whitman to within one point at 22-21, and the two squads traded baskets for the rest of the half.
Both sides fired away from beyond the three-point arc. Each team made six long balls in the opening 20 minutes, which ended in a 38-38 tie.
The Orediggers took a 45-40 lead to start the second half, but Erik Kofler, Whitman's senior post, responded in a big way. In consecutive possessions, Kofler hit a three pointer and then converted a three-point play in the paint to give the Missionaries a 48-45 lead.
Montana Tech exploited its height advantage throughout the second half, easing in front 55-54 on a Casey Briggs jumper with 10:16 remaining. Briggs, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, grabbed six offensive rebounds, including three tip-ins, which helped the Orediggers maintain a slim lead for much of the final 10 minutes.
With Whitman down 64-60 with three minutes to play, junior guard Ian Warner hit a huge three to trim the deficit to one point. Baskets by Ricker and Kelly put the Missionaries in front 67-64 with 1:30 left to play. Free throws by Ricker and junior Aaron Hazel helped seal the victory.
"It feels great to get that first win at home against a tough opponent, especially when we shot 35 percent," said Whitman coach Skip Molitor. "We can credit that to our senior leadership. Ricker and Kofler were huge down the stretch and Matt [Kelly] grabbed a big offensive board."
The Missionaries compensated for their poor shooting by hitting 75 percent of their free-throws, committing just six turnovers, and staying even on the glass with the bigger Orediggers.
Kofler finished with a double-double, 19 points and 11 rebounds, and provided two big second-half blocks. Ricker, a senior captain, had a nice night with 18 points, eight assists, and six boards. He also held Tech's three-point specialist, Davin Blixt, to 0-5 shooting for beyond the arc in the second half. Ian Warner and Kelly added 11 and 10 points, respectively, and both players collected five rebounds.
Next weekend Whitman hosts the annual Wildhorse Resort Classic, facing Concordia-Portland on Saturday and Eastern Oregon on Sunday. Both games start at 8 p.m.
"We'll have to play with the same intensity and shoot a little better to win next weekend," Molitor said. "We've got some solid teams in this year's field."
With seniors Erik Kofler, Matt Kelly and Greg Ricker combining for 73 points and 25 rebounds, the Whitman men’s basketball team outscored the University of Concordia-Portland 98-93 in Saturday night’s opening round of the 11th annual Wildhorse Resort Classic. The Missionaries are 2-0 to start the season, while the previously unbeaten Cavaliers slipped to 5-1.
After falling behind 19-10 in the first five minutes of play, Whitman bounced back behind a pair of 9-0 scoring runs. The second of those spurts, which covered the final 1:34 of the half, gave the Missionaries a 51-48 lead at the break.
Whitman led for much of the second half, pushing its lead to as many as 12 points before a flurry of Concordia three-point baskets in the final minute narrowed the final margin.
Kofler, a 6-foot-8 post, scored a career-high 28 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots. Kelly, a 6-foot-2 guard, finished with 23 points and seven boards, while 6-foot-2 point guard Greg Ricker had 22 points, eight assists, five rebounds and five steals.
“It was really great to see our seniors have such outstanding performances,” Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. “They’ve had some time to gel now, so we hoped coming into this season that things would fall into place. We’re certainly off to a good start.”
The Wildhorse tournament concludes with a pair of games Sunday night. Concordia heads to nearby College Place to play Walla Walla College on its home floor at 6 p.m. Walla Walla fell 73-56 to Eastern Oregon University in Saturday’s other first-round game.
Whitman and Eastern Oregon play for the tournament title at 8 p.m. Sunday in Sherwood Center. “Beating Concordia was a great win for us, but now we have to look ahead to a tough Eastern Oregon team tomorrow. I’d love to be able to win the tournament.”
Concordia got off to a quick start Saturday against Whitman, hitting five straight three pointers, including three by Alex Hartman. With the Missionaries down by nine, Kelly, Ricker and Kofler scored nine unanswered points to forge the first of what would be four first-half deadlocks. Freshman Brendan Ziegler’s three-pointer at the 11:34 mark put the Missionaries in front 26-25, their first lead since the opening minutes.
Concordia pulled ahead 48-42 with just over two minutes left in the half, but Whitman had answers for the Cavaliers all night. A Ricker jumper followed by Kelly’s steal and Kofler’s three-point play in the key brought Whitman to within a single point with a minute remaining.
Junior guard Ian Warner kept the rally on track, collecting a defensive rebound and sailing the ball ahead to Kelly, who electrified the home crowd with a one-handed slam dunk. Warner then snuck inside for a layup in the closing seconds of the half to give the Missionaries their 51-48 lead at intermission.
Concordia scored the first four points of the second half to regain the lead, but sophomore Chris Faidley’s jumper capped a 10-2 run that rekindled the Missionary momentum. Concordia made a final push, taking its last lead at 65-64 with 10:58 remaining. But Faidley drained a pair of free throws and Whitman was off on an 11-2 spurt that included seven points from Ricker.
With the clock becoming a factor, Whitman handled Concordia’s full-court pressure and hit big free throws down the stretch. Ricker hit two free throws with 1:35 left to inflate the Missionary lead to 12 points, 89-77. The Cavaliers kept shooting, hitting four three-points in the final 90 seconds. Michael Lay, 5-foot-10 senior guard, converted three of those triples and scored 13 of his team-high 24 points during the span.
Points from Kofler, Kelly and Ricker, however, kept Concordia at bay. Kofler hammered home a pair big dunks in the last 34 seconds to help seal the win.
Sophomore Aaron Hazel, with 10 points, gave the Missionaries a fourth player in double figures. Faidley added eight points off the bench.
Concordia mustered plenty of offense of its own, with five players scoring 10 or more points. The Cavaliers shot 56.5 percent from the floor for the game. Whitman compensated by outrebounding Concordia 39-34 and forcing the Cavaliers into 22 turnovers. The Missionaries hit 48 percent of their shots from the floor.
Despite having four of five starters score in double figures, the Whitman men’s basketball team failed to keep pace with the red-hot Eastern Oregon Mountaineers in Sunday night’s championship game of the Wildhorse Resort Classic in Sherwood Center.
Shooting 59 percent from the floor for the game, the Mountaineers overcame a five-point halftime deficit and pulled away late in the second half for a 97-84 victory. Eastern Oregon is now 5-2 on the season, while Whitman is 2-1.
Earlier in the evening in College Place, Concordia edged Walla Walla College 83-79 in the Wildhorse consolation game.
With Whitman and Eastern Oregon tied at 70 midway through the second half of Sunday’s championship game, the Mountaineers took charge with a 10-2 run. Sophomore Garth Brandal’s three-pointer with 3:41 remaining pulled the Missionaries to within five points at 82-77, but Eastern Oregon answered with the next six points to put the game out of reach.
“It was a hard fought game,” said Whitman basketball coach Skip Molitor. “We just couldn’t get enough stops on defense to pull this one out. You have to credit Eastern Oregon, though, as they slowed the pace down and beat us at its game, half-court sets.”
Whitman led throughout the first half of the contest and by as many as eight points on two occasions. Junior captain Ian Warner nailed four of his five three-point attempts in the first stanza, scoring 14 of his team-high 17 points before the break.
“It was great to see Ian come up big for us early,” said Whitman coach Skip Molitor. “He’s tough to handle when he gets hot.”
The story of the game, however, was the sizzling shooting of the Mountaineers. After making 52 percent of their shots in the first half, they upped the ante with 68 percent marksmanship over the final 20 minutes. Whitman shot a very respectable 53 percent for the game, but the Missionaries turned the ball over 15 times compared to Eastern Oregon’s nine.
Chad Fairbanks, one of six Mountaineers scoring in double figures, led the way with 22 points and six rebounds.
Whitman’s seniors followed big games Friday with more nice numbers against Eastern Oregon. Center Erik Kofler finished with 15 points, while guards Matt Kelly and Greg Ricker chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively. Kelly added six rebounds and four assists, and Ricker had four rebounds and four assists.
Both Ricker and Kelly were named to the all-tournament team. In his two games, Kelly scored 37 points, making 14 of 27 shots from the floor, and collected 13 rebounds and six assists. Ricker totaled 35 points, making 13 of 19 shots from the field, to go with 12 assists, nine rebounds and five steals.
Eastern Oregon’s Mark Corollo took home the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award. Corollo made seven of nine three-point shots and finished with 39 points and nine rebounds. Fairbanks, who combined 36 points and 13 boards, also was named to all-tournament team, as were Walla Walla College’s Jeremy Claridge (37 points, eight rebounds) and Concordia’s Michael Lay (37 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds).
“Overall I was happy with the way we played in this tournament,” Molitor said. “It was a tough field, and although it didn’t end quite the way we wanted, I think we are well prepared for Northwest Conference play.”
Whitman begins NWC play at 8 p.m. next Friday in McMinnville, Ore., against the Linfield Wildcats. The Missionaries play George Fox at 6 p.m. Saturday in Newberg, Ore.
With senior guard Matt Kelley making 10 of 14 shots from the floor and scoring 21 points, the Whitman men's basketball team opened Northwest Conference play with a convincing 69-58 victory over Linfield Friday night in McMinnville, Ore.
The win improves the Missionaries to 3-1 on the young season. Linfield is off to a 1-3 start.
The Missionaries built a commanding 15-point lead midway through the first- half with good three-point shooting and a strong inside play. The Wildcats chipped away, however, and trailed by just three points, 33-30, at halftime.
Whitman never trailed in the second half and made a series of defensive stops to extend its lead back to 15 points, 55-40, with 8:19 remaining. The Missionaries then cruised to an easy victory with strong free throw shooting down the stretch. Whitman converted eight of 10 from the charity stripe in the game's final five minutes, finishing off a 17-of-20 night from the line.
While Kelley had the hot hand, he had plenty of help. Senior Erik Kofler, the reigning Northwest Conference Player of the Week, posted his second double- double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Senior point guard Greg Ricker chipped in with 13 points and seven boards, and junior Ian Warner added 10 points.
Whitman remains on the road, traveling to Newberg, Ore., on Saturday to face George Fox at 6 p.m. George Fox also opened its NWC season with a victory tonight, edging Whitworth 79-69 in overtime.
Sophomore guard Chris Faidley scored 20 points in a break-out game off the Whitman bench, but it wasn’t enough as George Fox handed the Missionaries an 81-68 Northwest Conference defeat Saturday night in Newberg, Ore.
Whitman falls to 3-2 on the season, 1-1 in the NWC, while George Fox improves to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in conference.
With the score knotted at 64 with 7:56 left, George Fox took advantage of Whitman’s scrappy defense by getting to the free throw line and converting. The Bruins made 11 of 14 free throws in the final five minutes, putting Whitman away with a 17-4 run to finish the game.
Whitman seized the momentum to start the contest. Senior Erik Kofler opened the scoring with a three pointer, sparking a 10-4 Missionary spurt. The Bruins answered back, opening a nine-point lead late in the first half. Junior Ian Warner’s trey at the buzzer cut the George Fox lead to 42-38 at intermission.
After Bruins tallied a free throw and layup to open the second half, Whitman uncorked a 16-5 run to grab a 54-50 lead with 13:55 left to play. Kofler and Faidley spearheaded the charge with seven and six points, respectively.
George Fox responded with a three-point bomb and the game stayed close for the next five minutes. Whitman took its last lead at 62-21 on sophomore Garth Brandel’s layup, and Faidley nailed two free throws to tie the score at 64-64 with eight minutes to go. From that point on, the Bruins scored 17 of the final 21 points to win going away.
Whitman committed 25 total fouls as opposed to 17 by the Bruins. Warner and senior Greg Ricker, the starting Missionary backcourt, hoisted just eight shots between them before fouling out late in the contest.
Whitman struggled from beyond the three-point arc in the second half, making just one of 10 in their comeback attempt. The Bruins finished the night making 20 of 27 free throw shots.
Faidley’s 20 points came on 6 of 10 shooting from the field. He also made 7 of 8 from the charity stripe and snared six rebounds. Kofler added 15 points, eight boards and two blocked shots. Senior Matt Kelley had 14 points.
Whitman resumes its non-conference schedule next weekend, playing Warner Pacific at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday in Portland, Ore. Northwest Conference play resumes in January.
The Whitman men's basketball team played the nation's fifth-ranked NAIA Div. II team on even terms throughout the first half, but Warner Pacific pulled away in the second half for a 90-78 non-conference victory Saturday night in Portland, Ore.
The Knights improved to 10-1 on the season. Whitman, 3-3 overall, now takes a holiday break. The Missionaries next play Dec. 29-30 in a tournament in York, Penn.
With Matt Kelly scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in the opening half, Whitman controlled much of the early action. Kelly's hoop gave the Missionaries a 35-30 lead with 4:34 remaining, but the Knights uncorked a 17-9 run to lead 47-44 at the break.
The host squad kicked off the second half with a 12-4 spurt and never again trialed by fewer than nine points. The Knights shot 50 percent from the floor for the game, which included a nine of 21 performance from the three-point stripe. Whitman made just three of 26 shots from beyond the arc.
Donny Woods, a 6-foot-5 senior, had a monster game for the Knights, just missing a triple double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He made 11 of 14 shots from the floor, including two of three from three-point range.
Kelly, who mad 10 of 20 shots from floor, also led Whitman in rebounding with eight. Senior Erik Kofler added 13 points and four boards. Sophomore Aaron Hazel and freshman Chris Faidley chipped in with 11 points each.
Despite making just one of 11 three-point shots in the first half, Whitman shot 51.2 percent in the first 20 minutes, making 21 of 41 shots overall. But the Missionaries shot just 33.3 percent in the second half, making 12 of 36 attempts.
A woeful first-half shooting performance was the difference as the Whitman men's basketball team dropped an 80-75 decision to Ursinus College Thursday night in the opening round of the White Rose City Classic in York, Penn.
Ursinus, now 7-2 on the season, advances to play York College, the tournament host, in Friday's title game. In Thursday's other game, York downed Mt. Union 83-62.
Whitman takes a 3-4 season record into a 4 p.m. Friday consolation game against Mt. Union, which is 2-8 overall.
In Thursday's loss, Whitman made just 29 percent of its shots from the floor, and two of six free throws, in falling behind 35-22 at halftime. Senior guard Matt Kelly rallied the Missionaries in the first five minutes of the second half, hitting three three-pointers and a layup to trim the Ursinus lead to 43-39. But the Bears countered a few minutes later, unleashing a 15-0 scoring spurt to build a 62-42 cushion with 8:40 left to play.
Whitman responded with a 17-4 run of its own, closing to within 66-59 at the 3:42 mark. After freshman guard Chris Faidley sparked the rally with a pair of three-pointers, Kelly added a trey of his own and a layup. Junior forward Kyle Born, seeing his first action of the season, finished off the run with two buckets inside.
Ursinus held off the Missionaries down the stretch, keeping its lead at between eight 12 points until Faidley nailed three more three-point bombs in the final minute to narrow the final margin.
Faidley, who made seven of 10 shots from long range, finished with a career-high 21 points. Kelly, who was five of 10 from the three-point stripe, had 19 points and five rebounds. Sophomore post Aaron Hazel combined eight points with a game-high 11 rebounds. Senior point guard Greg Ricker had nine points and five assists. Born, who missed Whitman's first six games with a foot injury, contributed seven points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time.
Whitman outrebounded Ursinus 42-34. The Missionaries bounced back to shoot 50 percent from the floor in the second half.
Matt Kelly scored 33 points, his career high at Whitman, to power the Missionary men's basketball team to a 98-90 overtime victory over Mt. Union College in Friday's consolation game of the White Rose City Classic at Pennsylvania's York College.
Whitman evened its season record at 4-4. Mt. Union (Alliance, Ohio) dipped to 2-9 on the season.
The Missionaries led for much of the game, extending a 41-35 halftime lead to as many as 12 points early in the second stanza. But the Purple Raiders, after taking their only lead of the second half at 79-78 with 2:31 remaining, got a three-pointer from Eric Fender with three seconds left to send the game to overtime, tied at 85.
Whitman scored first in the extra session, getting a layup from senior point guard Greg Ricker. Mt. Union answered with two free throws, but sophomore Aaron Hazel's bucket inside put the Missionaries up for good at 89-87 with 3:03 left. Kelly converted two free throws at the 2:30 mark for a 91-87 Whitman lead. The Missionaries then made seven of eight charity tosses in the final 37 seconds to complete the victory.
Senior post Erik Kofler added 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Whitman. Junior guard Ian Warner was good for 13 points, four steals and four rebounds. Ricker, Hazel and freshman guard Chris Faidley each had 10 points.
The Missionaries shot 68 percent in the first half, making 17 of 25 shots, and finished with a 60.3 shooting percentage for the night. Kelly was 13 of 20 from the floor, including four of eight from the three-point line. Hazel canned all five of his field goal attempts, while Warner was five of eight from the field.
Kelly scored 20 of his points in the second half and then added two more in overtime. The senior guard is now averaging 19.4 points per game, which is tops in the Northwest Conference.
York College, the tournament host, edged Ursinus College 85-79 in Friday night's tourney title game. York is now 8-1 on the season and ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Div. III national poll.
Whitman remains in Pennsylvania over the New Year's holiday to play at Swarthmore College on Monday, Jan. 2. The Missionaries return home to host NWC games on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 6-7. Both of those games start at 8 p.m. in Sherwood Center.
Matt Kelly scored 21 points and Erik Kofler grabbed 17 rebounds as the Whitman men's basketball team held off Swarthmore College 78-74 Monday afternoon in Swarthmore, Penn.
Whitman, now 5-4 on the season, led for most of the game, building leads of 13 points midway through the first half and again late in the second half. But the pesky host squad mounted a pair of rallies, the second of which trimmed the Missionary lead to just one point, 75-74, with 34 seconds left to play.
After Whitman sophomore Garth Brandal converted two clutch free throws with 24 seconds remaining, Swarthmore's Matt Kurman misfired on a three-point attempt that would have tied the score. Kelly, a Whitman senior, snared the rebound, was fouled and made one of two free throws with eight seconds on the clock to seal the victory.
Kelly, who leads the Northwest Conference in scoring at 19.6 points per game, also grabbed five rebounds. Paced by Kofler's 17 boards, Whitman outrebounded the Garnet by a whopping 50-29 margin. Kofler, a 6-foot-8 senior, also had 15 points, posting his fourth double-double of the season.
Swarthmore's Dillon McGrew, seeing his first action after studying abroad last semester, scored a game-high 22 points.
Whitman junior Kyle Born, bouncing back from an early season injury, picked up 11 points and seven rebounds in just 12 minutes of play. Brandal and junior Ian Warner added 10 points each, while sophomore Aaron Hazel picked off eight boards. Senior point guard Greg Ricker handed out eight assists.
Swarthmore took its only lead of the first half at 6-5. Brandal hit a three-pointer and followed with a layup to cap a 10-0 run that had Whitman in front 28-15 with 9:26 remaining. The Missionaries still led by 10 points, 32-22, with 5:50 left, but the Garnet bounced back to tie the score at 38-38 with 90 seconds left in the half. Ricker and Born scored inside the final minute to give Whitman a 42-38 lead at the break.
Swarthmore tallied the first five points of the second half to lead by one point. Free throws by Born and Kelly put Whitman back on top, and the Missionaries never trailed over the final 17 minutes.
A 7-0 spurt gave Whitman a 13-point lead, 71-58, with 5:33 left on the game clock. A few minutes later, however, Swarthmore made its final run with a 12-2 spurt, cutting its deficit to a single point. That's when Brandal and Kelly stepped to the free throw line to close out the scoring.
Whitman returns to NWC action when it hosts Lewis & Clark on Friday and Willamette on Saturday. Both games start at 8 p.m.
Lewis & Clark drilled a school-record 24 three-point shots, but Whitman generated plenty of its own offense and outrebounded the visiting Pioneers 53-30 en route to a wild 103-95 overtime victory Friday night in Sherwood Center.
Winning in overtime for the second time in their last three games, the Missionaries improved to 2-1 in Northwest Conference play and to 6-4 overall. Lewis & Clark slipped to 0-3 in conference play and to 5-7 on the season.
Five Missionaries scored in double figures, with Matt Kelly and Ian Warner each scoring 25 points. Kyle Born, playing only his fourth game of the season in the wake of an early season injury, added 20 points and 13 rebounds in just 21 minutes on the court. Chris Faidley chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Aaron Hazel just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Ryan Wells spearheaded the Pioneer long-range attack, making 11 of 25 three-point attempts for a game-high 33 points. David Berggren and Mark Robinowitz tallied 15 points apiece for Lewis & Clark. Wells, Berggren and Robinowitz did all of their scoring from the three-point line.
Wells, a senior, fell one short of the school-record 12 three-pointers he made in Sherwood Center two years ago as part of an 85-76 Pioneer victory.
Friday night, Lewis & Clark led for much of the first half, twice extending its advantage to 10 points. Faidley and Warner drained a pair of treys inside the final minute, however, cutting Whitman's deficit to one point at 42-41 at the break.
After making 11 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes, Lewis & Clark added 12 more in the second half, which ended with the two sides deadlocked at 87. Whitman's Greg Ricker hit a running jumper in the lane with three seconds left in regulation for an apparent Missionary victory, but the basket was disallowed on a traveling call.
Whitman took charge in the five-minute overtime, scoring the first five points and never trailing. After Faidley's jumper with 2:12 left in the extra session gave the Missionaries a 96-89 lead, Lewis & Clark drew no closer than four points the rest of the way.
The Pioneers failed to muster much offense in overtime, scoring just eight points on five free throws and their final three-pointer, which came with 27 seconds left and the game all but decided. Warner and Kelly each converted two free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the win.
Warner, a 5-foot-8 junior guard, made eight of 11 shots from the floor, including five of six three-point attempts, in posting his career-high 25 points. He also scrapped his way to eight rebounds.
Kelly and Faidley, a pair of 6-foot-2 guards, also enjoyed sharp shooting nights. Kelly, a senior, was 10 of 20 from the floor. Faidley, a freshman, made five of eight from the field, including three of four from beyond the arc.
Born, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, was relentless on the backboards and around the hoop, making eight of 10 shots from the field while pulling down seven offensive rebounds. Hazel, a sophomore post, was just as efficient in the paint, sinking five of his seven shots.
As a team, the Missionaries shot 61 percent from the floor in the first half and finished their night at 56 percent. The Pioneers shot 42 percent for the game, taking 58 of their 76 shots from the three-point line. The 58 three-point attempts also set a new Lewis & Clark single-game record.
Whitman looks to extend its three-game winning streak when it hosts Willamette at 8 p.m. Saturday. Lewis & Clark plays at Whitworth Saturday night.
John Olinger couldn't miss in the second half, scoring 26 of his game-high 30 points to rally Willamette to an 86-82 Northwest Conference victory over Whitman Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
The Bearcats upped their record to 7-5 on the season and to 3-1 in NWC play. The Missionaries, who led by nine points with 15 minutes left in the second half, dropped to 6-5 and 2-2.
Olinger, a senior guard, made all nine of his shots from the floor in the second half, including three from the three-point arc. He also converted all five of his free throws.
Whitman's Kyle Born, a junior forward, posted his second double-double in as many nights, grabbing 18 rebounds to go with 14 points. Senior post Erik Kofler had 17 points and six rebounds for the Missionaries.
Willamette jumped in front 12-4 to start the game, but Whitman bounced back to lead 33-25 at halftime. Kofler scored to start the second half, giving the Missionaries a 10-point lead. The home team still led by nine points, 47-38, with 15:07 remaining, but the Bearcats scrambled back with a 14-4 run to lead 52-51 with 12:09 left.
Matt Kelly, a senior guard, nailed a jumper to give Whitman its last lead, 59-57, at the 8:30 mark. After Olinger reeled off 10 unanswered points, senior post Jason Luchterhand converted two free throws for a 10-point Willamette lead.
Whitman made a final run, getting back-to-back three-pointers from Kofler and sophomore post Aaron Hazel to cut its deficit to 79-74 with 2:16 left on the clock. One minute later, the Missionaries misfired on a three-point attempt that would have made it a two-point game, and the Bearcats made seven of eight free throws in the closing seconds to secure the win.
As a team, Willamette made 21 of 26 second-half shots, a sizzling 81 percent. Whitman won the rebounding battle 42-31.
Olinger got plenty of scoring help from Willamette's other four starters. Ian Mansfield and Drew Miller had 12 points apiece, while Luchterhand finished with 11 points and C.J. Stuveland chipped in with 10.
Whitman also had five players scoring in double figures. Ian Warner had 14 points, Hazel 13 and Kelly 10.
Despite hitting 13 three-pointers and having four players score in double figures, the Whitman men's basketball team was unable to keep pace with Walla Walla College Tuesday night in College Place. Winning their fourth straight game, the Wolves put six players in double figures and outscored the Missionaries 95-85.
Whitman, which dropped to 6-6 on the season, returns to Northwest Conference action this weekend, traveling to Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound. Walla Walla is now 13-8 on the season.
Whitman fell behind 46-37 at halftime, saw its deficit grow to 11 points early in the second half, and then twice rallied to within a single point. Junior Kyle Born converted a pair of free throws and scored inside to spark a 12-2 run that brought Whitman to within 62-61 at the 10:26 mark. Seniors Greg Ricker and Erik Kofler nailed three-pointers to fuel rally.
The Wolves briefly stemmed the tide, getting a basket from Ryan Wilson and two free throws from Alan Krause to lead 66-61. Freshman guard Chris Faidley hit another Whitman three, however, and Kofler made a free throw with 7:24 left to again bring the Missionaries to within a point at 66-65.
Walla Walla senior Jeremy Claridge responded with a pair of buckets and the Wolves regained the upper hand with a 12-4 spurt. Matt Kelly's two free throws with 2:49 left on the clock cut Whitman's deficit to 80-74, but the Wolves answered by hitting five of their next six free throws to push their lead back to 11 points.
The host team then made just enough free throws, going nine for 16 over the final 90 seconds, to maintain a comfortable margin of victory.
Ricker combined 19 points with seven rebounds and three assists to lead Whitman. Kofler had 18 points and four boards, while Kelly contributed 11 points and five assists. Faidley made five three-pointers to finish with 15 points. The Missionaries also got nine points and nine rebounds from Born and seven points and five boards from sophomore Aaron Hazel.
Ashton Bartlett led Walla Walla with 19 points. Wilson, Chris Ostos and Claridge were closed behind with 16, 15 and 14 points, respectively. Krause chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds.
After spotting the host squad an early 5-0 lead, the Whitman men's basketball team ran away to an 88-63 Northwest Conference victory over Pacific Lutheran Friday night in Tacoma, Wash.
The Missionaries, who led 40-27 at halftime, upped their record to 3-2 in conference and 7-6 on the season. The Lutes, who had downed Linfield 96-87 on Tuesday, are now 1-3 in the NWC and 2-11 overall.
Whitman kept its lead in double-digits throughout the second half and inflated its cushion to 22 points with 11:23 left to play. Sophomore reserve Garth Brandal's free throw at the 6:16 mark gave Whitman its biggest lead of the night at 29 points, 81-52.
Whitman's Matt Kelly led all scorers with 24 points in just 25 minutes of court time. The senior guard made 10 of 16 shots from the floor, including two of three attempts from the three-point line. Junior forward Kyle Born just missed a double-double, combining 17 points with nine rebounds in 22 minutes on the floor.
The Missionaries outrebounded the Lutes 48-37. Senior post Erik Kofler led the way with a game-high 14 boards. Aaron Hazel, a sophomore post, also had a good night with 13 points and five rebounds.
Whitman shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half and finished at 52.5 percent. That was a full 20 percentage points higher than Pacific Lutheran's shooting accuracy. Both Born and Hazel were six of eight from the floor for the Missionaries.
Whitman stays in Tacoma to play conference-leading Puget Sound at 6 p.m. Saturday. Puget Sound improved to 5-0 in the NWC with a 106-105 victory over Whitworth tonight.
Despite matching its season-high with 103 points and shooting 61 percent for the game, the Whitman men's basketball team fell to Puget Sound 112-103 Saturday night in Tacoma, Wash.
The Missionaries are 3-3 in the Northwest Conference and 7-7 overall. The Loggers, ranked seventh in the latest D3Hoops.com rankings, remain perfect in the NWC with a 6-0 record. They are 12-2 on the season.
After falling behind 8-0 at the outset, the Missionaries battled back to knot the game at 58 at the intermission. Whitman never led, however, as the Loggers put together an 8-2 run to start the second half, and converted on 20 of their 29 second-half free throws to sew up the victory.
Whitman got a huge game from junior forward Kyle Born, who hit 12 of 21 shots from the field, scoring 27 points and adding a career-high 22 rebounds. That is the most rebounds in a game by a NWC player this season.
The Missionaries also got big games from their senior guards. Matt Kelley had 26 points while Greg Ricker chipped in 10 points and 11 assists. Aaron Hazel came off the bench for 17 points and five rebounds. Chris Faidley, the fouth Missionary to reach double digits with 11 points, hit three of his five three-point attempts.
Puget Sound's pressure defense was one key to the game. The Loggers forced 28 turnovers while committing just 13. They also outrebounded Whitman 50-43 and outscored the Missionaries 31-7 from the free throw line.
Whitman faces Whitworth at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Spokane.
The Whitman men's basketball team fell victim to a career-high 29 points by Lance Pecht, dropping a shootout to the Whitworth Pirates 96-84 Tuesday night in Spokane.
The Missionaries slipped to 3-4 in the Northwest Conference and 7-8 overall. The Pirates are 10-6 on the season, 4-3 in the NWC.
A Garth Brandal offensive rebound gave the Missionaries a chance to tie the score with 1:45 left in the game. Down 83-80, senior guard Greg Ricker's three- ball narrowly missed, and Pecht canned his only three-pointer of the night at the other end. Whitman extended the game by fouling, but Whitworth finished off its victory with the last of 18 second-half free-throws.
After falling behind early, an 8-0 first-half run sparked by two Kyle Born buckets put Whitman up 31-28 with 6:27 left in the half. The Missionaries shot 60 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but a Brian Williams three- pointer at the horn capped a 59 percent shooting effort by the Pirates, who led 44-40 at intermission.
Born, a junior forward hitting his stride after an early season injury, shot a very efficient 11 of 13 from the field, lifting his season shooting percentage to a lofty 63 percent. He ended his night with a team-high 25 points.
Senior guard Matt Kelley added 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Ricker had a nice night distributing the ball, sharing the game-high in assists with eight in addition to nine points. Senior post Eric Kofler contributed a game-high seven rebounds, and freshman Chris Faidley nailed three treys in scoring 11 points.
The Missionaries won the battle of the boards 35-30, but committed 10 turnovers while forcing only four from the Pirates.
Whitman hosts Pacific at 8 p.m. this Friday in Sherwood Center.
Kyle Born and Erik Kofler both posted double-doubles in a 90-65 Whitman victory over Pacific Friday night at Sherwood Center. The Missionaries outrebounded the Boxers 52-18, grabbing 23 of those boards on the offensive glass. Whitman evened its record at 4-4 in the Northwest Conference and 8-8 on the season. Pacific is 1-6 in the NWC and 6-9 overall.
Scoring off four lay-ups, Born outscored Pacific 12-4 in the first three minutes of action to get the Missionaries rolling. Whitman maintained its first-half lead with swarming defense and relentless fastbreaks, one of which ended with an electrifying dunk by senior guard Matt Kelly. That pushed the lead to 41-28 with five minutes left to play. A Kelly three-pointer at the half-time buzzer gave Whitman a 56-39 advantage.
With its frontline pounding the boards, Whitman ballooned its lead to 34 points by the 11:29 mark of the second stanza. The undersized Boxers tried to counter by taking quick shots, but they were limited to one shot on nearly all of possessions.
The crowd of 500 fans was brought to its feet with 14:14 to play when senior point guard Greg Ricker threw an alley-oop pass off the backboard to a streaking Kofler who finished it with a two-handed crush.
Born ended his night with game-high totals in points (21) and rebounds (11). Kofler was right behind him with 18 points and 10 boards. Kelly chipped in 15 points while first-year shooting guard Chris Faidley hit four triples, ending his night with 14. Ricker led the Missionaries in assists with five.
Pacific point guard Branden Kawazoe had a nice night with 19 points and five boards, making four of seven from beyond the arc. Ross Bartlett chipped in 16 points for the Boxers on 5-of-10 shooting.
Whitman returns to Sherwood Center for its next two games. The Missionaries host Linfield and George Fox on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27-28. Both games start at 8 p.m.
With four starters scoring in double figures, the Whitman men’s basketball team defended its home court Friday night, beating Linfield 77-67 in the Sherwood Center.
The Missionaries climbed above the .500 mark, improving to 5-4 in Northwest Conference play and to 9-8 overall. The Wildcats are 2-7 in the NWC and 5-13 on the season.
After taking an early 13-8 lead off a Ryan Monagle jumper at the 16:17 mark in the first half, the Wildcats fell victim to a hot shooting Missionary squad. A 12-0 run capped off by an Ian Warner three-pointer sparked an efficient offense performance by Whitman, which shot 64 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
Despite shooting only 39 percent in the first half, Linfield collected five offensive rebounds and forced 10 Missionary turnovers to keep the game close. A Brian Murphy three-pointer at the buzzer pulled the Wildcats to within 39-29 at halftime.
Whitman scored 10 of the first 15 points in the second half, pushing it lead to 49-34, and maintained its double-digit cushion for the remainder of the contest. Whitman finished the night shooting 61 percent from the field, while Linfield shot just 43 percent. The Missionaries also outrebounded the Wildcats 34-27, although Linfield grabbed 10 offensive board to Whitman’s five. The Wildcats also forced 23 Missionary turnovers, while committing 18 themselves.
Matt Kelly, the NWC’s leading scorer, led all players with 21 points on nine of 14 shooting from the floor. Kyle Born chipped in 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds. The starting backcourt of Greg Ricker and Ian Warner added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Ricker also dished out a game-high six assists.
Matt McGowan’s 13 points paced the Wildcats. Monagle chipped in 12 points and Murphy had 10.
The victory gave Whitman a season sweep. The Missionaries took the first meeting between the two teams 69-58 in a December game played in McMinnville, Ore.
Whitman finishes its weekend with a game against George Fox at 8 p.m. Saturday. Linfield travels to Spokane to face Whitworth at the same hour.
The Whitman men's basketball team failed to hold a halftime lead and dropped an 87-79 decision to George Fox Saturday night in Sherwood Center. The outcome leaves both teams with 5-5 records in the Northwest Conference. On the season, the Missionaries are 9-9 while the Bruins are 12-7.
The Bruins built an early 17-10 lead, but a 13-3 run by the Missionaries put Whitman on top 23-20 at the 7:39 mark. Whitman continued to out-perform the Bruins for the remainder of the half, taking a 47-40 lead, its biggest advantage of the night, into intermission.
Junior forward Kyle Born dominated the first half for the Missionaries with 14 points and seven rebounds. Whitman made six of 10 shots from behind the three-point arc in the opening 20 minutes and finished at 10 of 18 from long range for the night.
George Fox quickly narrowed its deficit to start the second half, but the Bruins didn’t regain the lead until two Aaron Schmick free throws had the visitors on top 59-57 at the 10:52 mark. After several minutes of back-and-forth play, Whitman’s Chris Faidley nailed two free throws to produce the seventh and final tie of the second half at 76-76 with 2:40 remaining.
With the game on the line, the Bruins uncorked a 9-0 scoring with points from four different players to put the game out of reach.
Schmick led the Bruins with a game-high 21 points -- 12 in the second half. All five George Fox starters reached double digits in the scoring column. Chris Parker had 15 points, Scott Szalay 12 and Brent Satern and Ben Melvin 11 each. Satern also five assists.
Junior guard Ian Warner made seven of 11 shots from the floor, including three of five from the three-point stripe, and led Whitman with 19 points. Born clicked on seven of his eight shots to finish with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Faidley added 14 points, making four of six shots from downtown. Greg Ricker had 11 points to with five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Whitman travels to Portland next Friday to face Lewis & Clark. Whitman beat Lewis & Clark earlier this season in overtime.
George Fox returns home to Newberg, Ore., next Friday to face Puget Sound.
Digging itself a 14-2 hole in the first six minutes of play, the Whitman men’s basketball team was unable to recover and dropped a 75-65 Northwest Conference decision to Lewis & Clark Friday night in Portland, Ore.
The outcome leaves the two teams with identical records at 9-10 on the season and 5-6 in league play.
Lewis & Clark found a hot hand early in David Berggren, who hit three three-pointers in the first 5:30 to help the Pioneers build an early lead. But senior Erik Kofler’s two hoops and three free throws capped a 21-8 Whitman flurry that had the Missionaries in front 23-22 with 5:18 left in the half.
After the Pioneers jumped back in front by seven points, freshman Chris Faidley and junior Ian Warner nailed back-to-back three-pointers to cut Lewis & Clark’s advantage to 30-29 with 2:16 remaining. The home squad closed out the half with a pair of buckets to lead 34-29 at the break.
The Pioneers pushed their lead to as many as 10 points early in the second half, but Warner hit a jumper with 8:59 left in the game to draw the Missionaries to within 52-50. Lewis & Clark regained control with an 11-4 run over the next five minutes. Senior Matt Kelly’s jumper with 2:32 on the clock sliced Whitman’s deficit to six points, but that’s as close as the Missionaries would come down the stretch.
Kofler and Kelly, who combined to make 15 of 28 shots from the floor, led the Missionary scoring with 17 points each. Kofler also had six rebounds.
Faidley added 11 points off the bench and was the only other Whitman player in double figures.
The victory gave the Pioneers a split of the season series. Whitman beat Lewis & Clark 103-95 in overtime last month in Walla Walla.
Whitman completes its weekend on the road with a 4 p.m. Saturday game against Willamette in Salem, Ore.
Up by three points at halftime, the Whitman men’s basketball team pushed its lead to nine early in the second stanza before Willamette rallied for an 84-78 Northwest Conference victory Saturday afternoon in Salem, Ore.
It was Whitman’s third straight loss and second setback of the season by six points or less at the hands of the Bearcats. Whitman slipped to 9-11 on the season and 5-7 in the NWC, while Willamette jumped to 14-6 overall and 10-2 in the conference, good enough for second place.
Led by Chris Faidley’s four three-pointers, the Missionaries led 39-36 at intermission. Greg Ricker, Kyle Born and Faidley scored early in the second half to give Whitman a 45-36 lead. The Missionary lead lasted until C.J. Stuvland picked off a steal and converted a three-point to put Willamette ahead 57-55 with 12:43 left in the game.
The Bearcats extended their lead to 69-58 at the 7:17 mark but Whitman bounced back to make it close at the end. Faidley’s trey with 1:45 remaining brought the Missionaries to within a single point at 76-75, and two Ricker free throws with 36 seconds left made it a one-possession game at 80-77. But the Bearcats made four free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
Faidley, who made six of nine shots from three-point range, was Whitman’s leading scorer with 20 points. Matt Kelly and Erik Kofler were the only other Missionaries in double digits with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Ricker added seven points and six assists against just two turnovers.
Whitman shot 52.4 percent from the floor, slightly better than Willamette’s 50.9 percent. But the Bearcats outscored the Missionaries from both three-point range and the free throw line.
Whitman hosts Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound next weekend.
Pacific Lutheran used sizzling three-point shooting early and solid free-throw shooting late to post a 81-65 road victory over the Whitman men's basketball team Friday night in Sherwood Center.
Whitman, which had rolled to an 88-63 victory at Pacific Lutheran earlier in the season, saw its record droop to 5-8 in the Northwest Conference and to 9-12 overall. The Lutes are 4-9 and 5-17.
The Lutes stunned the Missionaries early with four consecutive three-point baskets, including two by Josh Dressler, contributing to a 14-3 run to begin the game. Pacific Lutheran remained hot, hitting seven of 11 long-distance shots before the break, building a 42-32 lead.
Whitman wasn't able to put together a run to close the gap in the second half. The Lutes kept their lead in double digits and a Josh Vanlandingham free throw gave the visitors their largest lead of the game at 69-50 with 7:21 to play. The Missionaries pulled to within 11 points, 74-63, with 3:20 remaining, but Pacific Lutheran closed out its victory by making seven consecutive free throws.
Whitman shot a solid 47 percent from the floor, but were outscored 33-9 from three-point range. The Lutes alsowon the battle of the boards 36-27.
Senior guard Matt Kelly scored 15 points, making seven of seven of 13 shots from the floor to lead Whitman. Greg Ricker and Aaron Hazel added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Kyle Born grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
The Lutes had five players score in double figures. Drew Cardwell had 20 points and made all three of his three-point attempts. Dressler was five of seven from beyond the arc to finish with 15 points. Bryon Decker posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Scott Lowery had 13 points and Andrew Mehalechko 11.
Whitman hopes to bounce back tomorrow night against Puget Sound. The game begins at 8 p.m. in Sherwood Center.
Pacific Lutheran travels to Spokane to take on Whitworth.
Playing before an enthusiastic home crowd on "senior night," the Whitman men's basketball team nearly pulled off a minor miracle Saturday in Sherwood Center. The Missionaries battled first-place Puget Sound on even terms for much of the game, and led by a point with 7:45 remaining, before the Loggers pulled away down the stretch for an 89-81 Northwest Conference victory.
In a game preceded by ceremonies for seniors Erik Kofler, Matt Kelly and Greg Ricker, the run-and-gun Loggers countered with a twelve-deep rotation and swarming defense reminiscent of the "Forty Minutes of Hell" once employed by the University of Arkansas.
The loss dropped Whitman to 9-13 overall and to 5-9 in conference. The nationally-ranked Loggers are 18-4 on the season and 12-2 in the NWC, tied for first place with Willamette.
"That would've been a great win on senior night," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "Our guys played their hearts out."
Following a first half that ended in a 46-46 deadlock, Puget Sound maintained the upper hand through the first several minutes of the second half, leading by as many as seven points, 57-50, with 14:21 left in the clock. But sophomore reserve Garth Brandal nailed back-to-back treys to give the Missionaries a 61-57 lead with 12:35 remaining.
The Loggers regained the lead on a Josh Walker jumper at the 11:05 mark, but Whitman's Chris Faidley hit two of four free throws with 8:20 on the clock to edge the Missionaries into a 69-68 lead. Faidley went to the line following after an intentional foul was whistled on Puget Sound, followed by a technical against the Logger bench. With just under eight minutes left, Kofler dropped in two more free throws and Whitman was up 71-68.
Puget Sound's Chase Curtiss, who led all scorers with 30 points, reeled off the next six points, sparking a 10-1 Logger run that seemed to turn the tide for good. Whitman's Kyle Born hit a free throw with 1:34 on the clock to trim the Missionary deficit to 82-79, but the Loggers made eight free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Curtiss made 11 of 24 shots from the floor en route to his 30-point night. Taylor Marsh had 15 points and six rebounds, and Antwan Williams chipped in with 13 points and four assists.
Whitman's defense helped the Missionaries stay with Puget Sound in the first half. Ricker had four steals while sophomore Aaron Hazel blocked three shots. The Missionaries also had the shooter's touch during the first 20 minutes of play, making 61 percent of their shots from the floo.
Born paced Whitman with 16 points and 11 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season. Freshman Chris Faidley scored 15 points off the bench, while Kelly, who brought the crowd to its feet in the first half with a steal and fast-break jam, finished with 14 points. Junior Ian Warner and Brandal added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Faidley and Brandal "gave us a huge lift off the bench tonight," Molitor said. "They hit some shots."
Ricker combined six assists with six steals. "Facing defensive pressure like that is a tough job for any guard," Molitor said. "He played a good game."
The loss dropped Whitman's record to just 3-7 in games decided in regulation by less than 10 points. Despite spending significant parts of both halves in the double bonus, Whitman snubbed its toe on the free throw line, making just 22 of 35 attempts, including 11 of 18 after intermission.
Whitman plays its final home game of the season at 8 p.m. Tuesday against Whitworth. The Missionaries then conclude their season at Pacific at 8 p.m. next Friday. Puget Sound hosts Willamette on Friday.
James Jones, Kevin Hasenfus and Lance Pecht combined for 61 points to power Whitworth to an 88-74 Northwest Conference victory over the Whitman men's basketball team Tuesday night in Sherwood Center.
The victory moves Whitworth to 12-3 in NWC play and keeps the Pirates within reach of the conference co-leaders, Puget Sound and Willamette, two teams tied at 12-2 headed into the final weekend of the regular season.
The loss dropped Whitman to 5-10 in conference and 9-14 on the season.
The two teams battled on even terms through the first 12 minutes of the first half. But with Whitman leading 21-19, the Pirates ripped off runs of 11-0 and 15-2 to take control. After a Kyle Born bucket with 3:51 left in the half trimmed Whitman's deficit to 37-29, Whitworth scored 10 of the next 12 points to lead 47-31 at the break.
Whitman climbed to within 11 points early in the second half, but the Pirates maintained a double-digit cushion the rest of the way. Jones, who made five of six shots from the three-point arc, led Whitworth with 21 points. Hasenfus and Pecht added 20 points each, while Hasenfus also snared a team-high nine rebounds. Bryan Williams scored 14 points for the Pirates.
For Whitman, Born and Erik Kofler posted identical double-doubles with 15 points and 10 rebounds apiece. The Missionaries had five players score in double figures. Senior Matt Kelly had 14 points and four assists, while freshman Chris Faidley and sophomore Aaron Hazel came off the bench to score 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Whitman closes out it season at Pacific on Friday. Whitworth is at Pacific on Saturday. Both games start at 8 p.m.
The Whitman men's basketball team ended its season on a disappointing note Friday night, falling 77-73 to Pacific in Forest Grove, Ore. The Missionaries finished with records of 9-15 on the season and 5-11 in the Northwest Conference. The Boxers take records of 10-14 and 4-11 into their season finale against Whitworth on Saturday.
The Missionaries, who trailed 71-61 with just 1:36 remaining, made a furious late charge. Playing in their final game, seniors Greg Ricker and Eric Kofler each hit a three-pointer, cutting the Boxers' lead to four with one minute left. After the Boxers stretched their lead to 75-69, Kofler and Ricker struck again. Kofler was fouled and made a pair of free throws.
On Pacific's next possession Ricker rebounded a missed Boxer free throw and took it the length of the court for a layup, cutting the deficit to two points with just two seconds remaining. The Missionaries fouled Pacific's Kyle Motta with two seconds still the clock, but Motta converted both free throws to seal the victory.
Whitman took an early 8-3 lead, but momentum then swung in Pacific's favor. A 12-2 Boxer run gave the host squad a 34-23 lead with 28 seconds left in the half. Missionary senior Matt Kelly hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to cut the deficit to eight at the break.
The Missionaries started the second half just as well as they did the first. Layups by Kelly and Ian Warner gave Whitman a pair of three-point leads, the last one coming at 49-46 with 11:37 left to play. Pacific surged again, taking a 57-49 lead at the 9:33 mark, but junior Kyle Born's three-pointer evened the score at 59-59 with 6:01 remaining. Pacific responded with a 12-2 that set the stage for Whitman's comeback attempt.
All five Missionary starters scored in double figures, although the Missionaries got just six points from their bench. Born led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Kofler added 12 points and eight boards. Warner added 14, Kelly had 13 and Ricker 11.
Ricker, a captain, finished his career with 821 points, 440 assists and 97 steals. Kofler's career numbers include 726 points and 484 rebounds. Kelly, a transfer, was Whitman's leading scorer the past two seasons, totaling 831 points in just two seasons.