WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Warner Pacific put its NAIA Div. II national ranking on display with an 87-67 non-conference victory over the Whitman College men's basketball team Monday night in Portland, Ore.

The Knights, now 9-2 on the season, outscored Whitman 21-5 over the final seven minutes of the first half to build a 58-32 lead at the break. The Missionaries, falling to 3-5 on the season, failed to mount a serious charge in the second half.

Freshman guard Brandon Shaw scored a game-high 21 points, hitting 10 of 20 shots from the floor, to pace the Whitman offense. Junior Steve Campbell, who joined the Missionary squad at the semester break, nailed five of nine attempts from the 3-point line and finished with 17 points.

Adam Moore, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, led the Knights with 20 points. Kaylone Riley, a 6-foot-8 junior, added 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, while 6-foot-6 junior Jake Glisson was good for 14 points. Warner Pacific is ranked No. 12 in the most recent NAIA Div. II national poll.

Whitman got off to a quick start, scoring the game's first five points on a Chris Faidley 3-pointer and a Jordan Wheeler basket. The Knights responded with an 11-3 spurt, but Juan Pablo Alvarez made a pair of free throws at the 14:50 mark to pull the Missionaries to within 11-9 on the scoreboard. Warner Pacific answered with 3-pointers by Aukai Wong and Steffan Harvey and began pulling away.

Still, Whitman kept the Knights within reach for the next several minutes. Wheeler's trey with 7:29 left in the opening half trimmed the Missionary deficit to 37-27, but Warner Pacific tallied the next 14 points to seize a commanding lead.  

Whitman plays its first home games of the season this weekend with the start of its Northwest Conference schedule. The Missionary men host Pacific on Friday and George Fox on Saturday. Game time both nights is 8 p.m.

The Whitman women also start NWC play this weekend, hosting the same two schools Friday and Saturday. Those games start at 6 p.m. in Sherwood Center.

Box Score 

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