TACOMA, Wash. - Whitman College finished off the regular season in fine fashion Saturday night at the University of Puget Sound. Whitman was dominant throughout the contest, running away with an 83-57 victory in Northwest Conference play. After the Missionaries jumped out to a big lead, the Loggers struggled keeping pace.

Christian McDonald led all scorers in the game with 22 points which he scored in just 21 minutes. Tim Howell added 13 points and a Joey Hewitt-Montez White combo poured in a combined 16. Evan Martin grabbed nine boards on the night and no Whitman (22-3, 14-2 NWC) starter played more than 28 minutes in the game.

Whitman started the game by running out to a 25-6 lead, midway through the first half. McDonald connected on four straight three-pointers that pushed the Missionaries to the lead. Whitman's defense stifled the Loggers to start the game, holding UPS (13-12, 8-8 NWC) to below double-digit points until the 8:11 mark.

The Missionaries did not slow down after jumping out to a big lead. Whitman entered the half with a 22 point lead and dominated the game in many aspects. The Whits outrebounded UPS 31-14, forced nine turnovers and allowed the Loggers to convert just 1-of-12 three-point shots.

McDonald had 16 of his 22 points at half, while grabbing seven rebounds. Puget Sound looked defeated and worn out at the break. "Obviously UPS was a little drained after their battle last night," head coach Eric Bridgeland said. "We hit a shot or two and used it as fuel early to get some great stops."

The second half was much like the first. With 10 minutes to play in the contest, the Loggers had the score back to within 12 points, but that is as close as they would get. Whitman pushed the lead back out to 24 minutes later and all but sealed the win from there. The Whits shot an astounding 60 percent in the second half, 5-for-7 from beyond three and continued to dominate the post-game.

When asked about Thursday's upcoming NWC Tournament game against Pacific Lutheran University, Bridgeland said, "It's a new season now. We're a one game team. Our mindset is to get better Monday after a day of rest and go from there."

Regardless of the outcome from this point, this Whitman team should be proud of what they have accomplished. The team has finished with a record 22 wins this season and is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation. Bridgeland concluded praising his young team saying, "For as young as we are, to remain focused down the stretch and grind these out, we're tremendously proud of our guys."

Whitman will host PLU Thursday night in the NWC Tournament first round. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. PST at Sherwood Center in Walla Walla, Wash.