Despite racing away to a 10-0 lead in the first five minutes, the Whitman men's basketball team fell victim to a three-point barrage in dropping an 85-71 season-opening game to Corban College Saturday night in Salem, Ore.
Corban, getting its first victory in its fifth game of the season, hit 13 of 22 three-point shots. The Warriors did most of their long-range damage in the second half, canning eight treys in 12 attempts to help break free from a 37-31 halftime lead.
"Once they started knocking down their shots, we couldn't get the momentum back," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "They also played like a team hungry to get its first home victory, and we played like a team playing its first game of the season."
Whitman seized the early advantage, getting six points from 6-foot-6 senior forward Kyle Born in building its 10-0 lead at the outset. After sophomore Brendan Ziegler drilled a Missionary three, Born added another inside bucket to put Whitman on top 15-4 with 14:28 left in the first half.
With Whitman leading 18-8, Corban's Hannes Gehring popped a three-pointer to trigger a 14-4 Warrior run that evened the score at 22-22. The Missionaries briefly regained the lead on two Born free throws, but a three-point bomb from Kevin Van Hook and two more from Jason Braun vaulted Corban into its halftime lead.
Whitman stayed close through the first few minutes of the second half, thanks in part to two more hoops from Born. But Corban struck five times from the three-point line in the first five minutes and quickly ballooned its lead to 19 points. The Missionaries drew no closer than 16 points until freshman Christopher Tobin-Campbell hit two free throws with six seconds left to complete the scoring.
Born, who did not start because of a sore foot, finished with 18 points, making eight of 12 shots from the floor. He also led all rebounders with nine. The Missionaries also got 10 points each from Garth Brandal and Chris Faidley, and nine points and seven boards from Keefe Piper. Whitman outrebounded the Warriors 35-33.
Missionary freshman Graham Brewer added eight points and Ziegler finished with seven. Ian Warner handed out eight assists.
Whitman was missing one of its starters in 6-foot-5 senior post Aaron Hazel. An art major at Whitman, Hazel is in New York City on a school project.
Wade Douglas, who didn't make a single three-pointer for Corban, led his team in scoring with 16 points. Eight Warriors in all made at least one trifecta.
In making 59 percent of its three-pointers against Whitman, Corban showed significant improvement over its first four games, when it made just 37.6 percent of its shots from long range.
Whitman doesn't play again until Dec. 1 and 2, when it hosts Lewis & Clark and Pacific in a pair of Northwest Conference games.
Losing one starter to a first-half injury and a second starter to fouls with 3:44 left to play, the Whitman men's basketball team saw a 10-point second-half lead slip away as Lewis & Clark rallied for a 72-69 Northwest Conference victory Friday night in Sherwood Center.
Lewis & Clark outscored the Missionaries 6-2 over the final 1:43 of the game to escape with a victory in the conference opener for both schools. The Pioneers improved to 5-2 on the season. Whitman dropped to 0-2.
"There were times when it looked like we had control of the second half," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "But Lewis & Clark is a very talented team, and they did a good job of making enough plays to get themselves back in the game."
Whitman grabbed its final lead of the night at 67-66 when freshman Brandon Jordan cut through the lane to score with 1:49 left on the clock. But two free throws by Jeff Christensen and Joey Toboni's fastbreak bucket off a Missionary turnover staked Lewis & Clark to a 70-67 lead. After Aaron Hazel scored inside to cut Whitman's deficit to one point, Mark Robinowitz made a pair of free throws to extend the Pioneer lead to 72-69 with seven seconds left.
The Missionaries got the ball up the floor in time for Garth Brandal to launch a hurried 3-point attempt, which bounced off the back iron at the buzzer.
Toboni scored 19 points and was one of four Pioneers in double figures. David Berggren had 14 points while Robinowitz and Christensen added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Hazel, a senior post who missed Whitman's first game while on a trip related to his academic major, made nine of 14 shots from the floor to finish with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds. "It was very encouraging to see Aaron get his season started with that kind of performance," Molitor said. "He finished just about everything inside."
Whitman got 19 points from Chris Faidley, who hit five 3-pointers before fouling out with 3:44 left in the game and his team in front 64-61. Ian Warner had 12 points and eight boards for the Missionaries, who outrebounded Lewis & Clark 43-26.
Kyle Born, who had 18 points and nine rebounds in Whitman's first game of the season, turned an ankle late in the first half and did not return. He had nine points and five rebounds in just nine minutes on the floor.
Lewis & Clark used a 12-0 spurt early in the first half to take a 24-11 lead. Whitman bounced back, getting two 3-pointers from both Faidley and Warner to hit the halftime break in a 37-37 tie.
The Missionaries opened the second half on a 17-7 run to lead 54-44 with 14:45 remaining. Faidley sparked the run with two treys and a total of eight points. After Lewis & Clark closed to 54-53, Hazel scored eight of Whitman's next 10 points as the home team eased in front 64-59 with 6:26 left. The Pioneers rallied a final time, taking a 66-65 lead on Berggren's three at the 2:15 mark.
Lewis & Clark made just 11 of 37 three-point attempts and shot 42.4 percent from the floor. Whitman shot 46 percent but fell victim to 16 turnovers.
Whitman stays at home Saturday to play Pacific University in a 6 p.m. game in Sherwood Center. Lewis & Clark travels to Spokane, Wash., to play at Whitworth.
Ross Bartlett scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as Pacific pulled away in the second half for a 65-46 Northwest Conference victory over the Whitman men's basketball team Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
With four players scoring in double figures, Pacific evened its NWC record at 1-1 and upped its overall mark to 2-4. Whitman, playing without leading scorer and rebounder Kyle Born, Whitman slid to 0-2 in conference and 0-2 on the season. Born sprained an ankle in the first half of Friday night's game with Lewis & Clark.
The Boxers led by as many as seven points in the first half before Whitman narrowed the gap in the final minute. Chris Faidley and Ian Warner hit 3-pointers to pull the Missionaries to within 30-27 at the break.
Faidley drained two free throws to start the second stanza, slicing the Boxer lead to one point. That's when Pacific got hot, connecting on a trio of 3-pointers while outscoring the Missionaries 15-2 over a game-changing three-minute span. Staked to a 14-point lead, Pacific allowed Whitman no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Aaron Hazel, Whitman's senior post, had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Faidley finished with nine points, and freshman Graham Brewer came off the bench for eight points.
Donnie Harrison-Davis added 13 points for Pacific, and Ryan Turcott had 12 points and five assists. Thomas Bright added 10 points, and Kyle Motta combined nine points with seven boards.
Neither team shot the ball well. Pacific finished at 37.9 percent while Whitman struggled in the second half and connected on just 29.1 percent of its shots for the game.
Whitman returns to non-conference action when its plays Tuesday at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande. Pacific hosts Cascade in a non-conference tilt next Saturday.
Down by 13 points midway through the second half, Eastern Oregon rallied past Whitman for an 86-77 non-conference victory Tuesday night in La Grande. The NCAA Div. II Mountaineers improved to 8-2 on the season while the short-handed Division III Missionaries slipped to 0-4.
Ahead 28-25 at halftime, Whitman threatened to blow the game open early in the second half. After knocking down a 3-pointer, Chris Faidley made a steal at the defensive end and scored a layin to give the Missionaries at 45-36 lead with 13:43 left to play. Aaron Hazel's three-point play in the paint, followed by another Faidley long ball, made it 51-38 with 9:55 remaining.
Hazel, Whitman's 6-foot-5 senior post, stayed inside for Whitman's next three buckets, and the Missionaries still led 57-47 with 7:26 left on the clock. Ian Warner's three-ball at the 6:45 mark had the visitors in front 60-49, but Eastern Oregon scored eight of its next 10 points at the free throw line over a two-minute span to pull to within three points at 62-59.
After Warner's steal and layin gave Whitman a 66-63 lead with a minute left, the Mountaineers got a basket and free throw from Derek Brown to knot the score. Eastern Oregon had possession with 15 seconds remaining, but Warner picked off another steal and was fouled with 11 seconds left. The senior point guard made one of two free throws for a 67-66 Missionary lead.
With just four seconds left, however, Eastern's Vernon Cropper went to the line for two free throws. He missed his first but made the second to send the game to overtime.
Warner filched his fifth steal of the night early in overtime, was fouled and made both free throws to hand Whitman its last lead of the night. After Cropper scored inside on Eastern's next possession to even the slate, Tanner McIntosh and Nick Finley hit jumpers to put the home team in control. The Mountaineers made three of four free throws to push their lead to 76-69 with three minutes left, and Whitman drew no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Faidley made five 3-pointers on the night and finished with a game-high 21 points. Warner had 18 points and five assists to go with his five steals. Hazel added 16 points and five boards, and freshman Graham Brewer had 10 points, four rebounds and three blocks in just 16 foul-plagued minutes.
Sophomore post Wes Bird came off the Whitman bench to grab a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior forward Kyle Born, Whitman's leading scorer and rebounder, missed his second consecutive game with an ankle sprain.
Faidley and Warner combined to make all eight of Whitman's 3-pointers. The Mountaineers made just three treys on the night, but they compensated at the free throw line, making 25 of 39 opportunities. Whitman was 13 of 17 from the line.
The Missionaries continue non-conference play when they host the 12th Annual Wildhorse Resort Classic later this week. Whitman plays San Francisco State on Friday and Warner Pacific on Saturday. Both games start at 6 p.m. in Sherwood Center.
David Van Someren scored 19 points and Will Logan added 14 points and nine rebounds to lead San Francisco State to an 86-64 victory over Walla Walla College in Thursday night's opening game of the 12th Annual Wildhorse Resort Classic.
The four-team tournament, hosted by Whitman College, continues with two games Friday.
San Francisco State, an NCAA Div. II school, rolled to a 46-29 halftime lead over Walla Walla, which was playing on its home floor in College Place. The Gators, who hit 56 percent of its shots in the second half to hold Walla Walla at bay, shot 48.4 percent for the night.
Van Someren, a pair of Gator guards, were a combined 12 of 22 from the floor. Van Someren, a 6-foot junior, connected on three of five 3-point attempts in scoring his team-high 19 points. Alex Thomas added 13 points for the Gators, who had 11 players crack the scoring column.
Ryan Wilson, Walla Walla's 6-foot-6 senior post, led the Wolves with 30 points and 12 rebounds. Brian Mock, a 6-foot-5 junior, chipped in with eight points and five boards for the Wolves.
Tournament action resumes at 2 p.m. Friday when Portland's Warner Pacific College plays the Wolves in College Place. Whitman then takes its turn against San Francisco State in a game that tips off at 5 p.m. in Sherwood Center.
The tournament finale is set for 6 p.m. Saturday when Whitman plays host to Warner Pacific in Sherwood.
With five players scoring in double figures, Warner Pacific ran its season record to 9-0 with a 102-50 victory over Walla Walla College Friday afternoon in game two of the 12th Annual Wildhorse Resort Classic. The game, played on Walla Walla's home floor in College Place, dropped the Wolves to 2-12 on the season.
The tournament resumes at 6 p.m. today when Whitman College, the tournament host, welcomes San Francisco State to Sherwood Center on the Whitman campus. San Francisco downed Walla Walla 86-64 Thursday night. The tournament concludes at 6 p.m. Saturday when Whitman hosts Warner Pacific in Sherwood Center.
Scott O'Gallagher and Jaxin Skyward, a pair of junior guards, scored 21 and 19 points, respectively, to lead Warner Pacific past Walla Walla. The Knights are ranked No. 7 nationally in NAIA Div. II.
Pat Oury, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, had 14 points and eight rebounds for Warner Pacific. Also scoring in double figures for the Knights were Josh Jackson with 13 points and Jalonta Martin with 12.
Ryan Wilson, a 6-foot-6 senior post, paced Walla Walla with eight points and 11 rebounds. Britt Balk added eight points and three steals for the Wolves. Wilson had 30 points and 12 boards in Thursday's game against San Francisco State.
The Knights, who shot 48.6 percent from the floor, led 51-25 at halftime. Warner Pacific was nine of 21 from the 3-point line, made 23 of 26 from the free throw line, and picked off 18 steals.
Alex Thomas scored six of his team-high 17 points over the final two minutes to lift San Francisco State to a 67-63 victory over Whitman Friday night in the Wildhorse Resort Classic in Sherwood Center.
San Francisco State, an NCAA Div. II team, improved to 4-3 on the season, dropping Div. II Whitman to 0-5. The tournament concludes at 6 p.m. Saturday when Whitman hosts Warner Pacific.
The Gators led for much of the first half, but Whitman got a bucket inside from Aaron Hazel and two free throws from Chris Faidley to knot the score at 28 at halftime. After San Francisco State opened the second half on a 13-4 run, Ian Warner's 3-pointer and three inside buckets by Kyle Born gave the Missionaries a 47-46 lead with 8:57 left.
Faidley hit another Whitman three and Hazel scored in the paint to nudge the Missionaries in front 52-49 with seven minutes remaining. Another basket by Hazel gave Whitman its final lead at 55-53 with 3:45 on the clock. After the Gators countered with Will Logan's second-chance bucket and a 3-pointer by David Van Someren to jump in front 58-55, Faidley kept the home team close with a pair of free throws.
Logan scored again for the Gators, and after a Whitman turnover, Thomas drilled a trey with 2:08 left to stake San Francisco State to a 63-57 lead. Warner scored with 11 seconds remaining to trim the Missionary deficit to 66-63, but Thomas made one of two free throws on the ensuing Gator possession for the game's final points.
Born, back on the floor after missing two games to an ankle injury, led the Missionaries with 18 points and nine rebounds. Hazel added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Warner canned two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points. Faidley contributed seven points and seven rebounds, helping Whitman post a 43-26 advantage on the backboards.
Thomas, one of three Gators to score in double figures, was four of eight from the 3-point line. He also picked off four steals to spark a San Francisco State defensive effort that forced 23 Whitman turnovers. Will Logan had 16 points and six rebounds for the winners, while David Van Someren added 13 points. Both Van Someren and Dean Wilson struck twice from beyond the 3-point line as the Gators made eight of 21 attempts from long range.
Born and Hazel, forming a potent one-two inside scoring punch for Whitman, were a combined 12 of 20 from the floor. Freshman Jordan Brandon made three of his five shots, including a 3-pointer, to contribute seven point and four rebounds off the Missionary bench.
With three players scoring 20 or more points, Warner Pacific ran its season record to 10-0 with a 92-85 victory over the Whitman men's basketball team Saturday night in the final game of the 12th Annual Wildhorse Resort Classic in Sherwood Center.
Josh Jackson and Scott O'Gallagher paced the Knights with 24 and 22 points, respectively, and Jalonta Martin added 20 points and eight rebounds for the victors.
Whitman senior Kyle Born led the Missionaries with 21 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, one off the Wildhorse tournament record for most rebounds in a single game. The Missionaries also got 20 points and three steals from sophomore Chris Faidley and 12 points and seven rebounds from senior Aaron Hazel.
Falling to 0-6 on the season, Whitman outrebounded Warner Pacific 45-26 but also coughed up 23 turnovers as the Knights pressured throughout the contest.
Faidley tallied seven early points as Whitman bolted to a 13-7 lead in the first six minutes of action. The Missionaries held their final lead at 20-19 with 8:44 left in the first half. The Knights responded with an 8-0 run and raced away to a 43-33 halftime lead.
Warner Pacific threatened to blow the game open early in the second stanza, stretching its lead to 69-50 with 12:09 left on the clock. But with senior captain Ian Warner drilling a pair of 3-pointers, Whitman reeled off 10 unanswered points over a two-minute span to climb back into the contest. The Missionaries kept up the offensive, scoring five of the next seven points to pull to within five points at 71-66 with 6:40 remaining.
The Knights pushed their lead back to 78-66, but Whitman freshman Jordan Brandon's basket with 1:30 had the Missionaries back to within six points and Born scored with 37 seconds left to make it 85-80. O'Gallagher kept Warner Pacific safely in front, canning five of six free throws as the game wound down. Jackson added two more free throws with seven seconds left to complete the scoring.
O'Gallagher made 16 of 17 free throw attempts on the night, setting a new Wildhorse tournament record for most free throws in a single game. He made all seven of his charity tosses in his other tournament game, a 102-50 victory over Walla Walla College. His two-game totals at the line (23 of 24) also set new tournament records for most free throws made and attempted.
Warner Pacific, ranked No. 7 nationally in NAIA Div. II, shot 50.8 percent from the floor. Whitman hit 52.8 percent of its second half shots and finished at 47.6 percent for the game.
Keegan Cook added to Warner Pacific's scoring onslaught, making all four of his 3-point attempts en route to 14 points.
Warner contributed nine points, four points and four assists to the Whitman cause before fouling out late in the game. Brandon added nine points and four assists, while junior Garth Brandal had six points, five assists and four boards.
Martin, a 6-foot-6 Warner Pacific junior, had 32 points and 10 rebounds in his two tournament games and takes home the tournament MVP award. Jackson, a 6-foot-2 junior who collected 37 points, six assists and four steals in his two games, also was named to the all-tournament team.
Whitman's Born, a 6-foot-6 forward, was named to the all-tourney team for the second time in three years. He finished with 39 points and 25 rebounds.
Others named to the all-tournament squad were Ryan Wilson, representing Walla Walla College, and Alex Thomas and Will Logan representing San Francisco State.
Whitman continues its non-conference slate when it hosts California's Biola University at 7 p.m. next Saturday.
Taking a slick pass from Chris Faidley, Whitman's Kyle Born scored off a drive to the hoop with seven seconds left in the game to lift the Missionaries to a 71-69 victory over Biola University Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
Born and Faidley combined for 53 points on the night, and Whitman overcame a 67-60 deficit in the final four minutes. The Missionaries, playing short-handed for the fourth time this season, picked up their first victory against six defeats. The NAIA Div. I Eagles dropped to 6-4 on the season.
Biola moved in front 67-60 with 3:55 left to play, but Whitman responded with a 9-0 run to lead 69-67 with 1:04 remaining. After the Eagles pulled even on Matt Emadi's jumper with 36 seconds left, Whitman worked the shot clock until Faidley drove down the right side of the lane. With the defense collapsing on him, Faidley dished the ball to Born, who caught the pass in the air and scored on the right side of the rim.
With Whitman pressuring Biola's ensuing inbounds pass, the Eagles could do no better than a one-handed toss from three-quarters court. The desperation heave drew neither iron nor backboard.
Born, who led all scorers with 27 points, was eight of 15 from the floor and nine of 11 at the free throw line. Faidley did most of his damage from long range, hitting six of 11 three-point attempts en route to 26 points. Faidley also had seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Emadi paced Biola with 21 points. Rocky Hampton, a 6-foot-8 freshman, added 18 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 2:22 left on the clock.
Ian Warner, a 5-foot-8 senior point guard, played all 40 minutes for the Missionaries, contributing nine points, five rebounds and four assists. Aaron Hazel, Whitman's 6-foot-5 senior post, missed the game because of a left hand injury.
Biola was missing two key players in senior guards Solomon Mercado and Kevin Cook.
Biola hit 70 percent of its shots in the second half and finished at 56.9 percent for the game. Whitman shot 42.9 percent on the night, including a 53.8 percent performance over the final 20 minutes.
The Missionaries essentially won the game at the three-point line, making 11 of 23 attempts. Warner and Born both made a pair of threes, and Keefe Piper drilled his only attempt from long range. Biola was just three of 11 from beyond the arc.
Whitman also outrebounded the much taller Eagles 32-30. The Missionaries picked off 14 offensive boards, twice as many as Biola. Piper, a 6-foot-4 sophomore subbing for the injured Hazel, got his hands on a team-high eight rebounds.
Biola led by as many as seven points in the first half, but Whitman used a 10-0 run to take a 22-19 lead with 5:40 left before intermission. After Born converted two free throws at the 4:44 mark to give the Missionaries a 26-21 cushion, the Eagles closed out the half on an 11-4 run to lead 32-30 at the break.
The two teams deadlocked seven times in the first nine minutes of the second half, the last time at 52-52. Biola scored nine straight points to gain the upper hand, but the Missionaries rallied down the stretch.
Kyle Born scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Whitman men's basketball team rallied for a 79-75 victory over West Coast Baptist Saturday night in Lancaster, Calif.
Playing its first game in two weeks, Whitman fell behind 43-40 by halftime and trailed by as many as eight points early in the second half. "We started to play much better over the final ten minutes," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "We caught them at 60 and had a 77-72 lead headed into the final two minutes."
Improving to 2-6 on the season, Whitman also got 14 points apiece from Ian Warner and Chris Faidley. Warner, a senior point guard, added five rebounds and four assists against just one turnover. "Ian played a nice floor game," Molitor said. "He kept us on the same page in our first game after the break."
Whitman outrebounded their hosts 59 to 37. Keefe Piper snared six boards for the Missionaries, while Faidley, Warner and Wes Bird each grabbed five.
Whitman played without senior post Aaron Hazel, who is out with a hand injury, but inserted freshman guard Jordan Wheeler into the line-up for the first time. Wheeler, who enrolled at Whitman at the semester break, scored his first two points in nine minutes of floor time.
Ron Barber scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds for West Coast Baptist, which saw its season record fall to 5-9.
Whitman continues its California road trip when it plays La Sierra University on Tuesday in Riverside. The Missionaries play at Redlands on Wednesday before heading to the Portland, Ore., area next weekend to resume Northwest Conference play with games at George Fox and Linfield.
Chris Faidley scored a game-high 21 points and Kyle Born posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Whitman men's basketball team edged La Sierra University 62-59 Tuesday night in Riverside, Calif.
"This gives us three straight wins in close games, and we had to come from behind in all three," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "We're starting to gain some confidence down the stretch."
With less than a minute to play and the game tied at 59, senior captain Ian Warner made one of two free throws to give Whitman the lead. On La Sierra's next possession, Missionary freshman Jordan Brandon made a steal and fed the ball to Warner, who was fouled with less than 10 seconds remaining. After Warner made both charity tosses, La Sierra misfired on a three-pointer that would have sent the game to overtime.
"It's good to know we can still win a game when we don't play well offensively," Molitor said. "We did a good job at the defensive end, especially in the second half. Brandon and Garth Brandel both did a good job on Ryan White, one of their leading scorers. They denied him the ball, which really threw a monkey wrench into La Sierra's offense."
Whitman trailed 37-33 at halftime but then held La Sierra to just 22 points in the second half. The Golden Eagles, who made just 27.6 percent of their shots over the final 20 minutes, finished with a 36.4 percent shooting percentage on the night.
"We really struggled with our offense early in the game, and they jumped out to a quick lead," Molitor said. "But Faidley made enough shots to keep us in the game."
Faidley hit seven of 14 shots from the floor, including five of nine from the three-point line. The sophomore guard also contributed seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Born, who entered the game as the leading scorer in the Northwest Conference at 20.5 points per game, ran into foul trouble and picked up his fifth foul with about 90 seconds left. He handed out four assists to go with his second consecutive double-double and third of the season. He missed two other double-doubles by one rebound.
Warner finished with seven points and five assists. Keefe Piper combined six points with seven rebounds as Whitman outboarded La Sierra 35-31. The Missionaries, who have been outrebounded by just one opponent this season, lead the NWC in rebounding differential.
Now 3-6 on the season, Whitman plays at Redlands Univeresity Wednesday night before heading back to the Northwest on Thursday. The Missionaries resume NWC play Friday at George Fox and Saturday at Linfield.
La Sierra dropped to 4-9 on the season.
Kyle Born scored a game-high 53 points -- shattering a 39-year-old Whitman College record -- but it wasn't enough to keep the Missionaries from dropping a frenetic 153-149 decision Wednesday night at California's University of Redlands.
Now 6-3 on the season, the run-and-gun Bulldogs ran their high-octane offense to near perfection, capitalizing on 24 three-point baskets while upping their season scoring average to nearly 126 points per game.
Born, a 6-foot-6 forward, made 25 of 29 shots from the floor and converted three of seven free throw attempts. He also grabbed 16 rebounds and handed out four assists in 31 minutes on the floor.
Born's 53 points breaks a single-game Whitman scoring record that had stood since December 1967, when Don Woodworth tallied 42 points against Eastern Oregon College (now University).
Whitman, which dropped to 3-7 on the season, also got a monster game from junior wing Garth Brand, who combined a career-high 38 points with 14 assists and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Chris Faidley made four of Whitman's seven three-pointers and finished with 20 points, four assists and four steals.
The game, which featured 23 lead changes and 14 tie scores, was deadlocked at 76 at halftime. Whitman led by as many as eight points in the first half, while Redlands took its largest lead by 11 points with about four minutes left to play.
"We had hoped to stay right with them until the 10-minute mark of the second half and then force them into a more traditional game," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "But we struggled a little bit with foul trouble and they made a little spurt midway through the second half. We spent the last 10 minutes playing catch-up, and it isn't easy to maintain the pace that Redlands plays on a regular basis."
Senior point guard Ian Warner, who fouled out and played just 25 minutes, still posted a double-double with 12 assists and 10 points. Freshman guard Jordan Brandon added 11 points.
"Born and Brandal obviously had great offensive games, but Faidley and Warner did a great job inbounding the ball and getting it up the court," Molitor said. "When we broke the press, Kyle and Garth were there to finish strong at the basket."
Redlands cycled 15 players into the game and seven scored in double figures. Senior guard Amir Mazarei, who holds the Redlands single-game scoring record at 57 points, sparked the Bulldogs Wednesday with 33 points in a team-high 24 minutes of floor time. Mazarei, who also had nine steals and seven assists, made seven of 23 shots from the three-point arc.
Daniel Markus added 24 points for Redlands, making five of nine shots from long range. Patrick Coffey, the deadliest of the Bulldog marksmen, made seven of 14 three-point attempts to finish with 21 points in just 15 minutes.
Whitman outrebounded Redlands 53-42 and shot 70 percent from the floor for the game. But the Bulldogs forced the Missionaries into 35 turnovers and took a whopping 108 shots, 66 of them from the three-point line. As a team, Whitman was seven of 13 from the three-point arc.
Prior to Wednesday's game, Born was shooting 53.8 percent from the floor on the season while averaging 19.4 points and 9.6 rebounds. In the wake of the Redlands shootout, Born is averaging 23.5 points and 10.4 rebounds, and his shooting percentage is up to 61.5 percent.
Born's 53 points is the highest point total for a Northwest Conference player in at least the past seven seasons. Earlier records were not immediately available.
Whitman last played at Redlands in December of 2004, losing 148-123. Born, a sophomore that season, had 34 points and 16 rebounds in that loss.
The Missionaries, who won two of their three games in California over the past week, return to Northwest Conference action this weekend, playing Friday at George Fox and Saturday at Linfield.
George Fox broke open a close game with an 18-3 second-half scoring spurt and cruised to a 77-63 Northwest Conference victory over the Whitman men's basketball team Friday night in Newberg, Ore.
Up by five points at halftime and ahead 50-44 with 14:15 left in the second half, the Bruins scored 11 unanswered points and eventually stretched their lead to 68-47 with 6:53 remaining.
The loss left Whitman with records of 3-8 overall and 0-3 in the NWC. George Fox raised its records to 6-5 and 2-1.
"They pretty much outplayed us in each half," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "They made shots, and we didn't. They shot almost 50 percent as a team, and we shot under 40 percent."
Back-to-back three-pointers by Brendan Ziegler and Chris Faidley gave Whitman an early lead at 12-10 with six minutes gone in the first half. Kyle Born's three-point play in the paint, followed by another Faidley trey, had the Missionaries in front 18-14 with 11:44 left in the half. George Fox regained the lead with a 12-7 run, but baskets by freshman Jordan Wheeler and Faidley pulled Whitman to within one point, 28-27, with 4:24 remaining.
The Bruins responded with another run, striking three times from long range and adding two free throws. Garth Brandal kept Whitman close, hitting a long three at the buzzer to slice the George Fox lead to 39-34.
Brandal scored the first two points of the second half, and the Missionaries stayed within striking range until the Bruins ripped off 11 straight points for a 61-44 lead with 11:05 left to play. Wheeler connected on a pair of three-pointers late in the game to help close the final gap.
Faidley led Whitman with 17 points, making six of 12 shots from the floor, including three of five from the three-point line. Wheeler added 11 points off the bench in just 15 minutes.
Born, who entered the game averaging 23.5 points, had 10 points and eight rebounds while taking just six shots. "They did a great job defending Kyle inside, and we didn't do a good job shooting the ball from the outside," Molitor said.
Phil Heu-Weller drilled five three-pointers for George Fox en route to a game-high 19 points. The Bruins also got 17 points from Chris Parker and 15 from Brent Satern.
Whitman returns to NWC action Saturday with a 6 p.m. game against Linfield in McMinnville.
"Hopefully we can play better on Saturday and come home with a victory," Molitor said. "That would give us three wins in five games on this road trip."
Ian Warner raced the length of the floor for a buzzer-beating, game-winning layup as the Whitman men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to edge Linfield 90-88 Saturday night in McMinnville, Ore.
The dramatic win, Whitman's fourth victory in its last six games, leaves the Missionaries with records of 4-8 on the season and 1-3 in the Northwest Conference. Linfield slipped to 5-8 overall and 0-4 in conference.
Kyle Born's two free throws with 20 seconds left in the game, coming on the heels of Garth Brandal's layup on a pass from Warner, had Whitman in front 88-85. But when Linfield's Steve Taylor hit his second three-pointer of the night with six seconds remaining, overtime seemed imminent.
Following a time-out, Warner took the inbounds pass and raced the length of the floor, swishing a running layup as the final horn sounded.
"It was a great, great comeback win for us," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "It was a lot of fun to see Ian go coast to coast with a floater at the end to win it."
Warner, Whitman's 5-foot-8 senior point guard and captain, finished with 18 points and four assists. Born posted his fifth double-double of the season with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Brandal and Chris Faidley added 17 points apiece. Faidley also handed out five assists, while Brandal came up with three steals.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Born and Warner had Whitman in front 29-24 with 8:53 left in the first half, but Linfield drilled five treys from that point to the break for a 49-43 lead. With freshman Jordan Wheeler scored the first four points of the second half and Faidley hitting a jumper, the Missionaries had the game tied at 49 in just 90 seconds.
Linfield surged again, however, running away to leads of 67-54 and 79-66. Warner's basket with 9:09 left triggered a 12-0 run that sliced Whitman's deficit to one. The Missionary spurt included six points from Born and four from Faidley.
"One thing that helped us was going to a three-quarter-court trap," Molitor said. "That helped throw them out of their rhythm a little bit, and then our guys kept getting more confident with each possession. Our guys made some great plays down the stretch to get the win."
Evan Timperly, who led all scorers with 27 points, made his sixth three-pointer of the game at the 3:50 mark to give the Wildcats an 82-78 lead. After Whitman regained the lead on Warner's three-point play and Brandal's three-pointer, Timperly struck from long range for a seventh time, giving the Wildcats an 85-84 lead with 1:43 remaining.
With the game on the line, Warner passed to Brandal for a layup and Born followed with his two free throws. That set the stage for Taylor's game-tying three-pointer and Warner's game-winning race up the court.
Linfield lost despite nailing 13 of 23 of its three-point attempts and shooting 54.4 percent for the game. Whitman shot 52.5 percent and outrebounded the Wildcats 34-29. Freshman Jordan Brandon contributed to Whitman's victory on the backboards by pulling down six rebounds.
Whitman made seven three-pointers -- three by Faidley and two by Brandal.
The Missionaries host Walla Walla College on Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season. That game starts at 7 p.m. in Sherwood Center. Whitman stays at home next weekend to play Pacific Lutheran on Friday and Puget Sound on Saturday.
With six players scoring in double figures, the Whitman men's basketball team rolled to a 101-63 non-conference victory over Walla Walla College Tuesday night in Sherwood Center.
Sophomore Brendan Ziegler came off the bench to pace the Missionaries with a career-high 17 points. Winning for the fifth time in seven games, Whitman is now 5-8 on the season.
Walla Walla, playing its first game since Dec. 17, slipped to 2-15 on the season. Senior post Ryan Wilson led the Wolves with 19 points and 13 rebounds, both of which were game highs.
With Wilson scoring inside and freshman Jonny Long hitting a three-pointer, Walla Walla jumped in front 5-2 in the first 90 seconds of play. But Whitman outscored the Wolves 21-3 over the next eight minutes and raced away to a 53-30 lead at the break.
Ziegler made seven of nine shots from the floor, including both of his three-point attempts, to lead the Missionaries in scoring. Aaron Hazel, slowed in recent weeks by injury, was also a highly effective force off the bench, making all seven of shots en route to 14 points.
Ian Warner, Whitman's senior point guard, added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, and junior wing Garth Brandal flirted with a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and sophomore guard Chris Faidley contributed 13 points to a balanced attack. Kyle Born, Whitman's leading scorer and rebounder, pulled down 10 boards but managed just seven points while battling foul trouble.
Freshman Jordan Brandon gave Whitman more pop off its bench with 12 points and six rebounds. Of the eight Missionary reserves who entered the game, all but one scored and the group combined to make 23 of 30 shots from the floor.
In terms of shooting, the Missionaries were a consistent bunch, making 21 of 37 shots (56.8 percent) in the first half before canning 21 of 36 second-half attempts. While Whitman was shooting 57.5 percent for the game, Walla Walla shot just 38.7 percent for the night.
The Wolves did some damage from the three-point line, striking nine times from beyond the arc. Chris Ostos connected on four three-pointers and finished with 15 points.
Whitman returns to NWC action this weekend, hosting Pacific Lutheran on Friday and Puget Sound on Saturday. Both games start at about 8 p.m. in Sherwood Center, following women's games at 6 p.m.
Jared Brandeberry scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds to spark Pacific Lutheran to a 100-96 victory over Whitman in Northwest Conference men’s basketball action Friday night in Sherwood Center.
The visiting Lutes improved to 3-2 in conference play and evened their season slate at 6-6. Whitman slipped to 1-4 in conference and 5-9 overall.
Kyle Born, the NWC leader in scoring and rebounding, paced Whitman with 27 points and 23 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season. The Missionaries led 47-45 at intermission and were up 65-58 with 11:38 left to play in the second half. With the teams deadlocked at 75, Pacific Lutheran pulled away on a 12-5 run and stretched its lead to 94-84 with just over two minutes remaining.
Whitman made a final push, getting five quick points from Aaron Hazel, a basket by Chris Faidley and Ian Warner’s three-pointer with 38 seconds left. That drew the Missionaries to within three points at 97-94. After the Lutes turned the ball over with 27 seconds left, a Whitman three-point shot failed to drop, and Pacific Lutheran’s Kurt Oliver, who finished with 23 points, made three free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.
Warner had 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Whitman. Faidley hit five three-pointers and had 17 points and seven assists. Hazel chipped in with 14 points for the Missionaries, who shot 51.5 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Lutes 50-32.
Brandeberry, Oliver and Josh Dressler all connected on four three-pointers for Pacific Lutheran, which also forced Whitman into 18 turnovers.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that featured 10 lead changes and five tie scores. Born's two free throws and a Garth Brandal three-pointer gave Whitman a quick 52-45 lead to start the second half, and the Missionaries still led by seven at 65-58 at the 11:38 mark. Pacific Lutheran responded with a 10-2 run over the next 90 seconds and never again trailed.
After Faidley's trey tied the score at 75 with 7:15 left to play, the Lutes regained the upper hand on Brandeberry's three-pointer and two free throws by Landon Heidenreich. Whitman's Jordan Brandon's three-pointer sliced Pacific Lutheran's lead to 82-79 with five minutes remaining, but the visitors shot their back into a 10-point bulge and then withstood the final Missionary rally.
Whitman continues NWC play on Saturday when it hosts Puget Sound at 8 p.m. in Sherwood Center. Pacific Lutheran travels to Spokane to play Whitworth.
With its starting five combining for 84 points, Puget Sound outscored Whitman 102-88 in men’s Northwest Conference basketball action Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
Puget Sound retained a share of first place in the NWC, improving to 5-1 in league and 11-2 overall. Whitman slipped to 1-5 in conference and 5-10 on the season.
With Kyle Born hitting a three-pointer and adding a tip-in, Whitman trailed by a single point, 35-34, with 4:02 left in the first half. But Puget Sound closed out the half on a 15-6 run to lead 50-40 at the break. The Loggers got hot to start the second half, extending their lead to 74-54 with 12:20 left to play.
The Missionaries made a run, cutting their deficit to 91-83 with 4:09 remaining. After Puget Sound's Ryan DeLong answered with a three-pointer, Aaron Hazel's free throw and Born's layup had Whitman back to within eight points with 2:41 left. The Loggers scored their next three points at the free throw line to put the game out of reach.
DeLong led the Loggers with 23 points. Robert Krauel added 22 points and eight rebounds, Jason Foster was good for 15 points and eight boards. Taylor Marsh scored 14 and Antwan Williams had 10.
Chris Faidley scored 19 points to lead Whitman. Ian Warner had 16 points and five assists for the Missionaries, who also got 14 points and seven boards from Garth Brandal and 12 points and 11 rebounds from Kyle Born. Aaron Hazel, who blocked three shots, just missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
Puget Sound shot 52.2 percent for the game, but Whitman won the rebounding battle 46-38.
Ian Warner and Chris Faidley combined to knock down seven three-pointers and Kyle Born posted his eighth double-double of the season, but it wasn't quite enough to get Whitman past 10th-ranked Whitworth Tuesday night in a Northwest Conference dogfight Spokane, Wash.
The Pirates closed out a 62-59 win, but only after Born's three-pointer at the final buzzer drew iron and failed to drop.
Whitworth improved to 16-1 on the season and 6-1 in the NWC. Whitman, losing its fifth game of the season by four points or less, slumped to 5-11 overall and 1-6 in conference. Another of the Missionary losses earlier this season came in overtime.
"If we're the 10th-ranked team in the nation, then Whitman is the best 1-6 team in any (NCAA Div. III) conference in the country," Whitworth coach Jim Hayford said after the game.
"It was a great game on both sides," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "It was good to see our guys bounce back and play well after a rough weekend at home."
Whitman led 29-26 at halftime but the Pirates opened the second half on a 15-6 run to lead 41-35 with six minutes gone. Missionary sophomore Brendan Ziegler followed with his only basket of the night, a three-pointer, and Born made three of four free throws to even the game at 41-41 with 9:33 remaining.
The Pirates pushed their lead back to nine points, 55-46, with 4:29 left on the clock, but Warner buried a three and Born added the next four points as Whitman crept within two points, 55-53, with three minutes still left to play.
Jon Young nailed one of his four three-pointers and Kevin Hasenfus added a layup to give Whitworth some momentary breathing room. But Whitman, Faidley in particular, wasn't quite done. The 6-foot-2 Missionary sophomore, who leads the NWC in three-point strikes, canned his third and fourth treys of the night, leaving the Pirates clinging to a one-point lead, 60-59, with 28 seconds left.
Young, fouled with 16 seconds left, made both free throws, putting Whitman in need of a three-pointer to force overtime. With the Pirates locked onto Whitman's three-point shooters, Born was forced to take the last shot and didn't get a clean look at the hoop.
"We were hoping to get a better shot than we did at the end, but we did a lot of good things to get us to that point in the game," Molitor said. "Warner and Faidley both made some great plays down the stretch."
The Missionaries used a pair of scoring spurts in building its first-half lead. Down 11-8, Whitman reeled off nine unanswered points, capped by Aaron Hazel's three-point play in the paint. After Whitworth regained a 19-17, Garth Brandal's three-pointer triggered a 10-2 run that Brandal capped with a layup to give Whitman a 27-21 lead with a 1:50 left in the half. Two Whitworth free throws and a Young three-pointer closed the gap, but freshman Jordan Wheeler hit a jumper with 10 seconds remaining to give the Missionaries a three-point bulge at the break.
"Once we started taking care of the ball, moving the ball and making some shots, that forced Whitworth to come out of its zone defense," Molitor said.
Born and Faidley led Whitman with 15 points each. Born also pulled down 12 rebounds, which gives him eight double-doubles on the season, tops in the NWC. Warner added 11 points, seven steals and four assists.
Whitworth did much of its damage inside, with 6-foot-7 senior post Kevin Hasenfus scoring 17 points to go with 15 rebounds. Ryan Symes, a 6-foot-5 junior, added 19 points and six boards. Both Hasenfus and Symes played at Delta Junior College in Stockton, Calif., before transferring to Whitworth.
Senior point guard Bryan Williams handed out 12 assists for the Pirates, and Young finished with 16 points.
Whitworth outrebounded the Missionaries 39-29, but Whitman forced the Pirates into 19 turnovers.
Both teams travel to Salem, Ore., this weekend to play Willamette. After Whitworth plays the Bearcats Friday, Whitman takes its turn Saturday.
Shooting 60 percent in the second half and nearly 57 percent for the game, the Willamette men's basketball team outscored Whitman 89-80 Saturday night in Salem, Ore.
With four players scoring in double figures, Willamette raised its record to 7-10 on the season and 3-5 in the Northwest Conference. The Missionaries, who got 23 points, six assists and five rebounds from senior point guard Ian Warner, ended the first half of their conference season with records of 1-7 and 5-12.
"They were just a little bit better than us in each half," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "We missed some easy shots in the first half along with all six of our free throws, and that was just enough to put them in front at halftime."
Whitman controlled much of the first half, leading by as much as seven points. But with the Missionaries on top 23-22 with 7:42 left before intermission, Willamette pieced together a 15-4 run to lead 37-27 with 4:05 left. Warner and Chris Faidley responded with three-pointers as Whitman closed to within 40-37 at halftime.
"They extended their lead at times in the second half, but we made some good runs at them," Molitor said. "Ian Warner played awfully well."
Whitman's Kyle Born scored the first bucket of the second half, but Willamette tallied nine straight points to put some comfort back in its lead. After the Missionaries sliced their deficit to four points on three occasions over the next three minutes, the Bearcats surged again, grabbing a 64-51 advantage with 10:49 left. Whitman countered with a 10-0 run, getting four points each from Faidley and Brendan Ziegler, to close the gap to 64-61 with eight minutes left.
Willamette jumped its lead back to 10 points, 74-64, with 5:36 remaining, but Warner's basket with 2:34 on the clock meant the game was still up in the air at 77-72. From that point, however, the Bearcats made 12 of 14 free throw attempts to stay safely in front.
Born, the NWC's leading scorer and rebounder, finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, his conference-leading ninth double-double of the season. Faidley added 14 points and Aaron Hazel had nine.
Dan Nugent paced Willamette with 33 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots. Michael Smith had 19 points for the Bearcats, who also got 16 points and nine rebounds from Ian Mansfield. Kyler McClary had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
Whitman won the rebound battle, 35-33. Willamette was 25 of 31 from the free throw line, while the Missionaries were just 10 of 21.
Striking 15 times from the three-point line, Lewis & Clark rolled up a 103-84 Northwest Conference men's basketball victory over Whitman Friday night in Portland, Ore.
The Pioneers, who edged Whitman 72-69 earlier this season in Walla Walla, improved to 11-6 on the season and 6-3 in conference play. Whitman is 5-13 and 1-8.
Lewis & Clark drilled 10 of 17 three-point shots in the first half and led by as many 15 points. Whitman's Ian Warner hit a three-pointer at the first-half buzzer to slice the Pioneer lead to 51-40.
The Missionaries, who shot 64.3 per cent from the floor over the final 20 mintues, made an early run in the second half, getting treys from Chris Faidley and Warner to pull to within 57-52 with 15:37 left to play. But the Pioneers responded with a 20-8 run to blow the game open.
David Berggren and Mark Robinowitz did much of the long-range damage for the Pioneers, combining to convert 10 of 16 three-point attempts. Both players finished with 22 points. Joey Toboni and Corey Allen, who were a combined five of eight from three-point distance, added 18 and 10 points, respectively.
Faidley, who led Whitman with 23 points and five assists, was four of six from long range. Kyle Born, the NWC's leading scorer and rebounder, was a force inside, making 10 of 12 shots and scoring 21 points. Born also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, just missing his 10th double-double of the season.
Warner was good for 12 points, six assists and four rebounds. Garth Brandal had 10 points, making five of seven shots from the floor. As a team, the Missionaries shot 56.7 from the floor for the game and committed just six turnovers.
"We shoot 57 percent and have six turnovers, and we still lose by 20," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "I think I need to fire my defensive coordinator and give my offensive coordinator a pat on the back. Faidley, Born, Warner and Brandal all had good games, but we spent too much time taking their threes out of the net."
Whitman plays Pacific at 6 p.m. Saturday in Forest Grove. Lewis & Clark hosts Whitworth on Saturday.
After seizing control with a 15-2 run late in the first half, Pacific held Whitman at bay in the second half for an 83-69 Northwest Conference men's basketball victory Saturday night in Forest Grove, Ore.
The Boxers evened their slate at 9-9 overall and 5-5 in conference. The loss leaves the Missionaries at 5-14 and 1-9.
The two sides battled through a series of four ties over the first seven minutes of the first half. Ian Warner's three-pointer with nine minutes left pulled Whitman to within two points at 23-21, but Pacific uncorked a 12-0 spurt to lead 35-21 at the 5:32 mark. After Warner broke the spell with two free throws, Donnie Harrison-Davis hit a three-pointer and the Boxers rolled into the break with a 50-34 lead.
Despite outscoring Pacific 35-33 in the second half, the Missionaries drew no closer than 14 points over the final 20 minutes.
Chris Faidley paced Whitman's offense with 18 points. Warner added 15 points and five assists, while Kyle Born made four of six field goals and four of five free throws to finish with 13 points and eight boards.
A.J. Jergens hit four of five three-point shots and led the Boxers with 20 points and six rebounds. Joe Van Domelen had 17 points and seven boards. Harrison-Davis chipped in with 12 points.
With Northwest Conference scoring and rebounding leader Kyle Born collecting 20 points and 17 rebounds, Whitman posted a 69-59 victory over George Fox Friday night in Sherwood Center.
Whitman, now 6-14 on the season and 2-9 in the NWC, led 29-27 at halftime and never trailed after the break, although the Bruins knotted the score three times early in the second half. George Fox slipped to 11-9 overall and 6-5 in conference.
Born buried a three-pointer at the 10:55 mark of the second half, sparking an 11-2 Missionary spurt that produced Whitman’s largest lead of the night at 57-46 with 7:21 left to play. The Bruins made a final run, scoring eight straight points to close to within three with 3:42 still left on the clock.
But after Whitman misfired on a three, Ian Warner pulled down an offensive rebound and Chris Faidley nailed a trey to extend the Missionary lead back to six. George Fox got no closer than five the rest of the way.
Born, posting his NWC-leading 10th double-double of the season, hit five of eight shots from the floor and was nine of 12 at the free throw line.
Faidley, who leads the conference in three-point baskets, struck three times from long range and finished with 16 points. Warner overcame an off night shooting the ball to contribute nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Despite foul trouble, Aaron Hazel connected on all seven of his shots from the floor en route to 14 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. His season field goal percentage jumped to 65.7 percent, which is tops in the conference.
Brent Satern led George Fox with 19 points and five steals. Evan Atwater had 10 points and Matt Noble eight.
Whitman held an early 10-4 lead after Faidley turned an offensive rebound into a three-point play with just over four minutes gone in the first half. George Fox rallied to take a 13-12 lead, but Hazel scored twice inside and Garth Brandal connected on a three-pointer to forge a 19-19 deadlock with seven minutes left in the half. Born scored the next seven Missionary points to help stake the home team to its halftime lead.
George Fox plays Saturday at Whitworth in Spokane. Whitman hosts Linfield at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Whitman outscored Linfield 12-3 over the final 6:30 of the game to pull out a 60-57 Northwest Conference men’s basketball victory Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
With all five of its starters scoring between 12 and 10 points, Whitman raised its record to 7-14 on the season and 3-9 in the NWC. Linfield is 2-10 in conference and also 7-14 overall.
The victory gives Whitman a season sweep of home-and-home series with Linfield. The Missionaries won 90-88 last month in McMinnville, Ore.
Emil Kim’s three-point play in the paint gave Linfield a 54-48 lead with 6:36 left on the clock, but Whitman countered with two free throws by Kyle Born, Chris Faidley’s inside bucket and two Aaron Hazel free throws to knot the game at 54 with 4:19 remaining.
Steve Taylor’s three-pointer at the 3:49 mark put Linfield back on top by three, but Hazel scored inside off a Faidley feed and was fouled. Hazel made the free throw and the game was all even at 57.
With 2:22 left, Born was fouled pulling down a defensive rebound and made one of two ensuing free throws to put the Missionaries on top for good. After the two sides traded missed shots and turnovers, Whitman’s Ian Warner took a charge on a Linfield drive to the hoop with just 20 seconds remaining. Following a scramble on Whitman’s next possession, Warner was fouled and made both free throws for a 60-57 Missionary lead.
Linfield’s Taylor nearly sent the game to overtime, but his three-point shot from the top of the key rimmed out in the final seconds.
Warner, Whitman’s senior point guard, sparked the Missionaries with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Born also had 12 points along with six rebounds. Faidley combined 11 points with seven boards, and Hazel finished with 11 points on four-of-five shooting from the floor. Garth Brandal, the fifth Missionary starter, added 10 points.
Kim led Linfield with 11 points. Payton added 10 for the Wildcats.
Whitman outrebounded the Wildcats 36-32 and made 18 of 21 free throws.
Linfield jumped in front 17-11 in the first seven minutes of the first half. After Whitman closed to within 24-23 on Warner’s drive to the hoop with 6:00 left, the Wildcats answered with four straight points and led 32-28 at the break.
Warner scored eight quick points to start the second half, six of them coming on a pair of three-pointers, to give the Missionaries a 38-36 lead. After two Born free throws made it 48-45, Linfield scored the next nine points and was in control until Whitman rallied down the stretch.
When Kyle Born collared an offensive rebound and scored with 7.8 seconds left in the game, the Whitman men's basketball team thought it had a 70-68 Northwest Conference victory Friday night in Tacoma.
But the Lutes snatched away the victory, racing the ball down the court for a game-winning three-point bomb that Whitman coaches and players argued was released after the final buzzer. Prior to the shot, the ball was knocked loose but rolled to Kurt Oliver, who buried the three-pointer for a 71-70 PLU win.
Whitman's protest were disallowed as officials ruled the shot was good.
The ending spoiled an otherwise strong comeback by the Missionaries, who trailed by 10 points midway through the second half and by nine points, 60-51, with 7:08 left. Chris Faidley, who nailed seven three-pointers on the night, sparked the rally with back-to-back treys with 6:30 remaining.
The Lutes boosted their back to six points, but Faidley hit one of his threes, was fouled and made the free throw for a four-point play. Born scored off an offensive rebound with 48 seconds left to tie the score at 68. After Pacific Lutheran turned the ball over and Faidley, Born grabbed another offensive rebound and scored on the putback for Whitman's short-lived 70-68 lead.
Born enjoyed his second big night of the season at Pacific Lutheran's expense, combining 26 points with 12 rebounds, both of which were game-high numbers. Earlier this season, Born blitzed the Lutes for 27 points and 23 rebounds.
Faidley added 22 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Missionaries. Aaron Hazel made all five of his shots from the floor to finish with 10 points and seven boards.
Whitman outrebounded the Lutes 37-31 and shot 48.3 percent from the field, one percentage point higher than the home team. But Pacific Lutheran was deadly from the three-point line, making 11 of 21 shots.
Whitman plays Saturday at Puget Sound.
With Chris Faidley hitting nine of his 12 three-point shots and scoring a career-high 30 points, the Whitman men's basketball team pulled off a major upset Saturday, knocking off nationally-ranked Puget Sound 106-99 on its home floor in Tacoma, Wash.
The loss also knocked the Loggers, ranked No. 18 in the latest NCAA Div. III national poll, out of first place in the Northwest Conference.
Whitman's victory, coming one night after a heart-breaking loss at Pacific Lutheran, upped its record to 4-10 in the NWC and 8-15 overall. Slipping to 17-5 and 10-4 in conference, Puget Sound now trails both Whitworth and Lewis & Clark by one game with two games left in the regular season.
Down 47-38 at halftime, Whitman shot a sizzling 74.2 percent from the floor in the second half, making 23 of 31 shots, including seven of 10 from the three-point line. The Missionaries took their first lead of the second half at 66-65 when Faidley nailed a three with 11:55 left to play. Puget Sound moved back in front 76-72 at the 9:05 mark, but three more long bombs from Faidley gave Whitman the lead for good at 83-79 with 6:59 remaining.
All five Whitman starters scored in double figures. Kyle Born, the NWC scoring and rebounding leader, had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Aaron Hazel also had 20 points plus five rebounds.
Garth Brandal chipped in with 16 points, seven assists and four boards, while Ian Warner had similar numbers: 13 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Whitman returns home next for its last two games, hosting Whitworth on Tuesday and Willamette on Saturday. Both games start at 8 p.m. in Sherwood Center.
Down by two at halftime, Whitworth erupted for 51 second-half points en route to an 84-72 Northwest Conference men’s basketball victory over Whitman Tuesday night in Sherwood Center.
Whitworth, now 21-3 on the season, elevated its NWC record to 12-3 and moved a half-game into sole possession of first place with one game left on its regular season schedule. Lewis & Clark is in second place at 11-3 with Puget Sound in third with a 10-4 mark.
The loss dropped Whitman to 8-16 overall and 4-11 in conference.
With Kyle Born, Aaron Hazel and Garth Brandal combining to make 11 of 13 first-half shots, Whitman led by as many as eight points and eased into halftime with a 35-33 lead. The Missionaries at that point were poised to upset its second league-leading team in as many games. Whitman knocked Puget Sound out of first place last Saturday with a 106-99 win in Puget Sound.
But Whitworth opened the second half on a 28-4 run to bust the game wide open. Six three-point bombs, four of them by James Jones, sparked the outburst. The Pirates led by as many as 24 points before Whitman rallied, getting three free throws and two three-pointers from Ian Warner to slash Whitworth's lead to 78-69 with 1:51 left.
Whitman's comeback bid soon fizzled, thanks in part to three Pirate free throws by Colin Willemsen.
Whitworth finished the second half with a game-clinching eight three-pointers on just 11 attempts. Jones, one of five Pirates to score in double figures, tallied a game-high 21 points while connecting on six of nine shots from the three-point arc. Bryan Williams, who added 17 points for the winners, was four of five from long range. Jon Young nailed three of his six three-point tries and scored 14 points.
Warner paced Whitman with 17 points and four assists. Born posted his NWC-leading 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Hazel chipped in with 10 points and three blocked shots.
Whitworth wraps up its regular season Friday when it hosts Willamette in Spokane. Willamette and Whitman play their season finale Saturday in Walla Walla.
Seniors Kyle Born and Aaron Hazel posted double-doubles and sophomore Chris Faidley set a new single-season school record for three-point baskets as Whitman scored an 81-70 season-ending victory over Willamette Saturday night in Sherwood Center.
Whitman finished its season with records of 9-16 overall and 5-11 in the NWC. Willamette slipped to 10-15 and 6-10.
Born, the NWC leader in scoring and rebounding, paced Whitman with 26 points and 16 rebounds, his league-leading 13th double-double of the season. Hazel, the conference leader in field goal shooting, added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Whitman led 37-29 at halftime and inflated its cushion to 17 points early in the second half. Willamette rallied down the stretch, pulling to within 68-64 with 5:51 left to play. But Born’s tip-in followed by Hazel’s inside bucket and an Ian Warner free throw pushed the Missionary lead back to 10 points at the 2:45 mark, and Willamette’s comeback bid was over.
With 59 seconds remaining, Whitman up 78-68 and the shot clock winding down on a Missionary possession, Faidley rifled home his fourth three-pointer of the night – and his 91st of the season -- to set a new single-season school record. Dan Rough set the previous record in the 1994-95 season.
Faidley finished his night with 14 points. Warner, Whitman’s senior point guard and captain, finished his career with seven points, five assists and five rebounds. Born, who was a perfect two-for-two from the three-point line and six-for-six at the free throw stripe, also handed out six assists and had three steals.
Rob Andrus and Michael Smith led Willamette with 13 points apiece. Five other Bearcats scored either nine or eight points. Whitman won the rebounding battle 48-34.