SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Whitman College finished up its Thanksgiving weekend road trip in dramatic fashion with an overtime victory over Cal Lutheran University in the Mission Inn Thanksgiving Classic Saturday afternoon. After battling through the first two halves, the Whitties needed overtime to put the Kingsmen away, but eventually secured a 74-68 win.
 
Whitman (4-0) shot just 36.4 percent from the field in the game, but found ways to make up for it. Guard, Christian McDonald led all scorers with 22 points and Tim Howell contributed 19 with four assists. Evan Martin just missed out on a double-double posting nine points and leading the Whitties with nine rebounds.
 
Whitman fought through a tight first half, but held a lead for a good portion of the first 20 minutes. Cal Lutheran (2-2) grabbed a 30-28 lead with just under a minute to go in the half, but JoJo Wiggins' layup with 32 seconds remaining tied the game going into the break.
 
A solid start to the second half showed the Whitties leading by seven just four minutes into the half, but CLU was able to climb back into the game. Whitman held a lead until the 6:48 mark when Cal Lutheran guard, Dan Wade hit a three-point shot that tied the game at 48. The Whitties responded with four straight points, regaining the lead and momentum, but the Kingsmen were not done.
 
Whitman had two opportunities to push the game back to a two-possession contest late in the second half, but both jumpers fell off the rim giving CLU the chance to win or tie. With 26 seconds remaining in the game Cal Lutheran's Connor McGuire scored a bucket that tied the game 64-64. Whitman had two shots in the closing seconds; McDonald's shot with four seconds remaining was no good and Martin's put back was not meant to be sending the game to overtime.
 
The Whitties and the Kingsmen went back and forth to start overtime as neither team led by more than two until late into the period. Whitman grabbed its first lead of overtime at the 1:24 mark and clamped down defensively, not allowing CLU to score from that point on. Howell converted four free throws in the final minute and sealed the win for the Whitties.
 
Whitman returns home next weekend to open Northwest Conference play against Linfield College and Lewis and Clark College on Friday and Saturday, respectively.