WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Against a proud program with tournament pedigree and the distaste of a Friday-night thrashing in Spokane still fresh, Whitman found a way to weather the inevitable storm.

By being the storm.

Paced, in part, by a quiet 25 points -- with just one missed field goal -- from Joey Hewitt, the fourth-ranked Blues had their most prolific scoring half of the season after halftime in a 101-85 victory over Covenant College in non-conference men's basketball Saturday evening at Sherwood Center.

Tim Howell led the way with 26 points as Whitman (5-0) subdued the Scots (4-3), who hail from Lookout Mountain, Georgia, toil in the USA South Conference, and shot a blistering 59.1 percent from the 3-point arc Saturday.

"It was their third game in five days, and we knew they'd come with everything they had," said Whitman sophomore Austin Butler, who had 12 points, four steals and one unforgettable, preposterous dunk over a Covenant defender that was negated by a charging foul. "In the scheme of things, we're just trying to get better. These (nonconference) tests will get us ready for conference."

Whitman's next five games feature unfamiliar foes in intersectional matchups, including 17th-ranked Wooster (Ohio) at Sherwood next Sunday and a showdown with third-ranked Marietta (Ohio) College on Dec. 22 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Blues are likely to encounter more of what Covenant served up on Saturday: fight. The Scots seemed to channel the frustrations of a 93-62 loss at Whitworth University Friday in splashing 9 of their first 13 3-point attempts.

"That's a tournament team. They returned everybody. They went up north last night and got their bell rung," Whitman head coach Eric Bridgeland said, listing viable explanations for Covenant's peskiness. "They always say, You've gotta keep scoring. They certainly did.

"I was proud of our guys that they kept the lead and were able to build the lead, and withstand (Covenant's) shooting."

Whitman's 55 second-half points was a season-high by one, eclipsing the 54 it hung on St. Olaf in the first half of its season opener on Nov. 18. It was the byproduct of the Blues' refusal to mimic Covenant's marksmanship.

"We were smart on offense," said junior Jase Harrison. "Instead of trying to match their shooting, we pushed the ball. They're a pressure team, which left us open to drive to the basket."

Whitman took 33 shots from inside the arc, and just six outside it, after halftime. It made 19 of 33 2-point field goals -- a 57.5 percent clip -- while turning the ball over only three times.

In virtual silence, like an assassin's nod, Hewitt made 10 of 11 field goals. He was 9-of-9 from inside the 3-point line.

"Joey, man. He missed like, one shot, maybe," said Butler. "Whenever he's got it going, you just keep getting him the ball."

"I've only been here for a little while," Harrison added, "but I've seen the way he can shoot it. I've been talking to him and he said he hasn't been feeling it lately. It was nice to see him do that."

Howell had 18 of his points inside the game's final 12:51. He scored nine during a 13-7 Whitman run, capped by a Hewitt jumper, to give the Blues their largest margin of the contest (79-60) with 7:19 left.

That wasn't technically the "high point" of the game, however.

About two minutes later, Butler gathered a pass near midcourt and saw open tarmac, save for a lone Covenant defender loitering near the basket. Teleporting from the left wing to just inside the free throw line on two dribbles, Butler elevated -- his left knee grazing the defenders ear -- and boomed a dunk one-handed.

He was called for a charge.

Was it a charge, Austin?

"I honestly didn't see it," he said.

People on the ground look like ants from that height.