SPOKANE, Wash.  Ninth-ranked Whitman College rained down 10 first-half 3-pointers while also forcing 17 turnovers in doubling up Schreiner (Texas) University at the half, eventually finishing off the Mountaineers, 90-61, Friday evening in a non-conference contest at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The game was the opener of the Quality Inn Whit Classic, which includes the nationally-ranked Blues, Schreiner, Texas Lutheran University and host No. 12 Whitworth University.

Whitman (2-0) opened the scoring with a Tim Howell layup off an Austin Butler steal and assist, then added another steal and layup to jump out to a 4-0 lead. The Blues would forge a 9-0 advantage over the Mountaineers (1-4) before the game was three minutes old, lifted the lead into double digits at the 16:14 mark, and then grew the lead to 15 in just over five minutes of game action.

Halftime had to have been a welcome break to shell-shocked Schreiner as it trailed 52-26 behind a full-court pressure defense that forced 17 Mountaineer turnovers -- turned into 22 points -- and a Blues long-range attack that had more field goals from outside the arc, 10, than from inside, 8.

Though a three-point difference in second-half scoring allowed Schreiner to avoid an even greater beat-down, the damage had been done by Whitman's opening half of assault.

Head coach Eric Bridgeland was able to utilize his entire 14-man roster over the course of the game, with 12 of the players getting at least 10 minutes of court time. Twelve players scored for the Blues, led by Howell's 22 points, with Howell, Joey Hewitt (14 points), Jase Harrison (12) and Ben Beatie (11) reaching double-digits.

In all the Blues hit for 17 3-pointers, two shy of the most recent high of 19 in a 114-68 victory back in November of 2012. Howell, Harrison, Hewitt and Christian McDonald each drained three trey's in the contest, and Beatie and Jack Stewart added two from beyond the arc. Andrew Harvey had the other long-range jumper.

Whitman eked out a 41-38 edge on the glass, spreading the wealth as 13 players came down with at least one rebound. Beatie and Stewart shared the lead with five boards apiece.

Butler was his usual floor-general self, working for seven points but coming away with five steals and two rebounds, while dishing out five assists without even a single turnover.

Whitman continues action in the Classic Saturday at 5 p.m. with a non-conference bout against Texas Lutheran.