Men Overwhelm Pacific in Second Half

News Release Date:
Friday, January 2

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- With its pressure defense forcing a total of 27 turnovers, Whitman College broke open a close game early in the second half and kicked off the Northwest Conference men's basketball season with a rugged 87-72 victory over Pacific University Friday night in Sherwood Center.

Jordan Wheeler driving

Jordan Wheeler tallied a game-high 20 points and Chris Faidley posted a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) as Whitman improved to 4-5 on the season. Faidley also had six of Whitman's 15 steals.

Pacific, which saw its season record slip to 5-4, got 15 points from Jonathan Jury and and 14 points from Garold Howe.

Whitman led for much of the first half, although Pacific pulled ahead 41-38 on Jordan Carter's basket with 2:34 left in the opening stanza. But Wheeler scored inside and added four free throws to give the Missionaries a 44-42 lead at the break.

With Brandon Shaw scoring six points and Steve Campbell nailing a 3-pointer, Whitman opened the second half on a 15-6 run to build a 59-48 cushion with 14:08 left to play. Wheeler's 3-point bomb made it 71-55 at the 8:33 mark and the Boxers drew no closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Shaw finished with 15 points while Campbell had 13 to give Whitman four players in double-digit scoring. All 10 Missionaries who played in the game made into the scoring column, and seven players made connections from the 3-point line.

Jury and Howe snared six rebounds each to spark the Boxers to a 41-33 advantage on the backboards. Micah Mooney and A.J. Gaulton scored 10 points apiece for Pacific. Todd Hinderman and Randy Bolick added identical numbers (eight points, five rebounds) for the Boxers.

Faidley's 3-pointer and Shaw's two free throws gave Whitman a 20-15 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half. Max Adcox drilled a Missionary three with five minutes remaining to make it 38-33, but Howe's 3-pointer triggered a 9-1 Pacific run as the first half ended in a near stalemate.

After Whitman's opening charge in the second half, Jordan Carter popped the cork on a Pacific three and Gaulton added a jumper to keep the Boxers close at 59-53 with 12:48 left in the game. But a 3-pointer by Juan Pablo Alvarez was the opening salvo in a 9-0 Whitman outburst that pushed the lead back to 15 points. Faidley keyed the run by turning three of his steals into layups.

Whitman stays at home Saturday to host George Fox while Pacific travels to Spokane to play Whitworth. Both games start at 8 p.m.

Box Score

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu