WALLA WALLA, Wash. - It was clear early that No. 16 Whitman College was happy to be in the friendly confines of Sherwood Center after over a month absence from its home court. The Missionaries put on a clinic in their 102-76 victory of the University of Puget Sound in Northwest Conference men's basketball action. The Whits hit the century mark for the sixth time this season and used solid play from its bench to run away from the Loggers late.

Five Missionaries reached double-digit points with Austin Butler and Christian McDonald leading the way with 17 apiece. Butler, for a third straight game, led the Whits in rebounds with nine and collected two steals on the night. Senior guard, Tochi Oti added 16 points, while Tim Howell used a strong second half to match Oti's 16. Joey Hewitt was the fifth Whittie to reach double figures with 14, shooting 3-for-4 from three-point land.

"We've been on the road for the last three weeks," Butler said. "We faced a lot of adversity and we weren't really used to that. So it was nice to be home and to play in front of our fans and on our court with our families here supporting us."

The three-ball was dropping early for both teams, but Whitman's (14-2, 6-1 NWC) second-chance points were the difference early on as the Whits led UPS 22-20 with just over 11 minutes to play in the opening half. With Whitman's biggest scorer, Tim Howell in foul trouble early, Puget Sound (9-7, 4-3 NWC) grabbed an early lead, but the Missionaries turned to senior, Tochi Oti and first year guard, Hewitt to turn things around. The duo shot a combined 4-for-5 from beyond the arch in the first 10 minutes of the contest and reined the Loggers in.

Butler continued his hot play for Whitman in the first half, as the first year wing poured in nine points on 4-4 shooting from the field. Philip Chircu's free throws at the 6:31 mark gave the Whits their largest lead of the game at 11 and it appeared Whitman was going to run away from the Loggers early. Whitman stormed to a 16-point lead in the final minutes and entered the break with a 52-36 lead.

Whitman's bench provided a huge boost for the team, outscoring the Loggers 29-11 in the first half. The Missionaries held UPS to just one offensive rebound and zero second-chance points. Butler and McDonald score 15 points each in the opening 20 minutes which led all scorers.

"We've got so many guys that can do so many things; so many intangible things. If Tim's in foul trouble, Tochi comes out; Austin's eight rebounds in the first half are probably the difference of us being up a little bit." Head coach Eric Bridgeland said about the teams opening half. "We're so deep, with so many guys that can play."

Much like the first half, Whitman started the second half dialed in from long-range. The 16-point lead for the Whits was quickly pushed to 24 in just over three minutes. Both Howell and McDonald got going offensively in the early minutes of the half.

Whitman continued to pressure the Loggers down the stretch, running the lead to 33 points with just under eight minutes to play in the game. During the closing minutes, the Missionaries played ball control, preventing any Puget Sound run and locking up the win.

The Whits will play again tomorrow night against Pacific Lutheran University in a game that is set to tip at 6:00 p.m. at Sherwood Center.