Men’s and women’s basketball teams head to NCAA Elite 8
The men's and women's basketball teams advanced from the Sweet 16 to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division III tournament after convincing wins earlier today.
The Blues men triumphed 102-82 over Hardin-Simmons University at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio.
Tim Howell '18, a sociology major, led the scoring with 28 points. Other Whitman stars were psychology major Joey Hewitt '19, who chalked up 21 points, and Jase Harrison '19, who added 18. The bench chipped in with 31 points.
Whitman ended the first half ahead 50-40. Though Hardin-Simmons made a brief comeback at the start of the second half, the Blues men—this season's only unbeaten team across all three divisions at 30-0—soon took a commanding lead. Throughout, Whitman capitalized on 24 steals and 36 points off turnovers.
The women's team bested Trinity University 69-59 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The first half of the game was close, with Whitman one point behind after the first quarter, 15-14, and a point ahead after the second, 30-29. However, in the second half, the Blues women established a solid lead. The top scorer was politics major Emily Rommel '18, with 16 points. Art major Casey Poe '18 added 14 points and Chelsi Brewer '18, an economics-mathematics major, made 11. Whitman capitalized on 14 second chance points and grabbed 58 rebounds.
The men's team will face off against either Marietta College or the University of Rochester on Saturday at 4 p.m. Pacific Time. The women will take on the University of St. Thomas or Marymount University at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. The winners of those games will move on to the Final Four.