ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - When Whitman College took the court against the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in the sectional round of the NCAA Tournament, the team was loose and looking to upset the nation's eighth-ranked team. However, St. Thomas had other things in mind. In a game that Whitman seemed out of sync with each other, the Tommies ran away with a 99-73 victory.

It was the matter of one team having a hot night shooting and one having a cold night. Unfortunately, it was not Whitman's night. "Their (St. Thomas) length impacted a lot of our shooting," head coach Eric Bridgeland said. "When you get in the key, you don't have the space that you usually have because they are so long. Some of it may have been jitters, but part of it was St. Thomas."

The Missionaries shot a much better 45.7-percent from the field in the second half and took care of the ball offensively. Howell finished the contest with 13 points and three assists, Austin Butler finished up the first year of his career with an 11 point and nine rebound game.

When asked to reflect on this season, senior Tochi Oti spoke about the bond the team shares, saying, "Coach talks about the biggest thing we need as a team is togetherness and I think we've had that throughout the whole year. Our brotherhood is so strong and I think that is what got us to this point."

It seemed Whitman's nerves were somewhat of a factor coming out of the gate. The Whits were uncharacteristically turning the ball over and giving up open looks, which put the Missionaries in an early hole. Eventually, Whitman settled into the game and found their groove. After cutting an early deficit to two, the Missionaries surrendered back-to-back buckets and found themselves facing a 24-13 disadvantage midway through the first half.

At the 8:53 mark, Whitman's offense began to struggle again as the Tommies did a great job clogging the lanes and forcing the Whits into contested jump shots. A St. Thomas lead that grew to 18 points had Whitman on their heels just before the half, but an and-one dunk from JoJo Wiggins slowed the bleeding and allowed the Missionaries to regain their composure.

After Whitman cut the Tommie lead back to 12, an 8-0 run by UST put the Missionaries back in a tight spot. The Whits continued to battle, fighting for every basket they could get and trying to stay within striking distance, but Cortez Tillman caught fire for St. Thomas in the closing minutes and propelled the Tommies to a 54-30 lead heading into the break.

St. Thomas entered the half shooting 80-percent from three. Tillman led all scorers with 17 points, going 5-for-5 from beyond the arch. Howell led all Whits with eight points on 4-of-10 shooting, but a minus-eight rebound differential and a high UST shooting percentage was the difference in the opening 20 minutes.

Foul trouble haunted Whitman coming out of the intermission as St. Thomas entered the bonus just three minutes into the half. With 14:50 showing on the clock things went from bad to worse for the Missionaries as Howell went to the ground on a non-contact play that looked worrisome, but fortunately, he would later return to the game. Whitman faced their largest deficit of the season at 29 points with just under 10 to play, but its fight never stopped.

Cedric Jacobs-Jones came off the bench and provided a spark for the Whits, adding nine points in just seven minutes of play. Whitman fought back using an 8-0 run, but never threatened the Tommies down the stretch.

Senior, Evan Martin said that while the loss stings like any other loss, no one is hanging their head, "We had the run of our lives," he said. "We set the bar so high for ourselves and for the program, so how can we go out with our head down?"

Bridgeland's closing remarks focused on the senior class and what they have meant to the program, "From a leadership standpoint and a coaching standpoint all you want them (the players) to do, is reach their potential and leave Whitman with an unbelievable experience," he said. "These guys did that. They drove our program to places it's never been and I am so proud of them."

Although the Missionaries came up short-handed in Friday night's contest, there is no doubt the future is bright for Whitman basketball.