WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Some games it just takes a little jolt.

After maintaining its near double-digit halftime lead throughout a third of the way into the second half, Whitman College's men's basketball team received that jolt as visiting George Fox University rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie the game at the midpoint of the half. The message was received and the Missionaries responded, finishing up Saturday evening's Senior Night tilt with a 95-83 Northwest Conference victory while running their win streak to eight games.

Whitman (18-5, 12-2 NWC), already locked in as at least the No. 2 seed for the conference postseason tournament, spread the scoring around against the Bruins (5-18, 3-11) as five players reached double digits in scoring, led by Christian McDonald's 18 points. It was the second night in a row in which McDonald led the team in the offensive end.

Joining McDonald in double figures for the M's were Matt Mounier with 16 points, Tim Howell and Evan Martin with 13 each, and Dominic Lippi with 12. Martin also was a force on the glass, coming away with a game-best 13 boards to complete his double-double. Mounier and Lippi, along with fellow seniors Clay Callahan and Cheney Doane, were honored in a brief pregame ceremony with their families joining them on the court.

The Missionaries didn't start the night as finely-tuned as they have played during the winning streak -- finishing with an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers -- but they still carried a 50-41 lead into the halftime break after 20 minutes that saw them shot just 39 percent from the floor and needing to weather three lead changes and four ties.

That near-10-point lead never seemed to grow in the second half but Whitman was still comfortably in front, until the 12:30 mark when they owned a 64-54 advantage over Fox.

A 13-3 Bruins run over the next three minutes suddenly brought tension back into the contest as Fox tied the score at 67-67 on Thomas Rico's fast-break layup.

Championship teams respond under that type of pressure, though, and Whitman answered with a Philip Chircu 3-pointer, a block by Peter French followed by another trey, this one from Lippi, to quickly put the M's up by six. Fox cut into that deficit with a jumper its next time down the court but a French put-back off a Jackson Clough miss and a Chircu defensive rebound followed by a Tochi Oti layup grew the advantage to eight, 77-69.

George Fox would battle back to within six, 80-74, but Whitman's 9-0 run over the next three minutes finally doused the upset hopes that permeated the Fox bench over the previous minutes.

The speed and strength of Whitman showed in the enormous 44-24 advantage the M's posted in the paint during the win. If it wasn't a slashing cut through the lane for a layup it was a strength position where a short turnaround jumper was easy pickin's. The depth of coach Eric Bridgeland's bench was also on display as those substitutes notched 48 points. By comparison, the Bruins bench registered an 18-point night between the four players that relieved any of the starters.

Thomas did post a game-high 23 points for Fox, and he got help from JJ Lacey's 20 points and 10 rebounds. But there was too much Whitman style to overcome on a night that didn't start out with a gold star but earned it by the final horn.

The M's hit the road for the end of the regular season, heading to the University of Puget Sound for a Friday-night league game, and then making the short trip to Pacific Lutheran University for the regular-season finale on Saturday.