WALLA WALLA, Wash.  What Whitman did in dismantling Willamette 100-59 in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Saturday at Sherwood Center was almost as impressive as what it didn't do.

The Blues did not:

"That was a very mature win," Whitman head coach Eric Bridgeland said. "Any time you're coming off a big win and looking at the standings like anyone would do, you're happy when the focus stays on a one-game schedule. I was happy with our energy. We wanted to rebound and run and guard."

Rebounding, running, guarding: each the offspring of "want" more than "talent," metrics of effort rather execution. On each front Saturday, Whitman thrived. It hunted for shots in the paint, scoring 58 points at close range. It racked up 16 fast-break points. It out-rebounded the Bearcats 44-34. It forced 26 turnovers, purloined 14 steals and allowed 32.3 percent field-goal shooting.

And it did so by committee. The bench scored 48 points; five first-year players were on the floor for the final 4:53, lifting Whitman from 85 points to the 100-point plateau.

"From top to bottom, everyone here plays hard," said Whitman junior Jojo Wiggins, who tied Jase Harrison and Austin Butler for game-high honors in steals with three. "Anyone on the court is giving 100 percent. Up 20, down 20, guys go hard, go full-throttle.

"Our practices are like that, too," he added. "We stress a culture of meaningful work, whether you step on that court for two minutes or 15 minutes."

The second-ranked Blues (19-0, 10-0 in NWC) maintained a three-game lead over Whitworth for first place in the NWC with six games remaining in pursuit of the program's first conference title since 1987. A four-game road trip – Whitman's longest of the season – awaits, starting with visits to Pacific (on Feb. 3) and Linfield (Feb. 4) next weekend.

Whitman junior Tim Howell had 18 points, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes to pace all scorers Saturday. Butler added 14 points, six rebounds, a team-high four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Joey Hewitt had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Jaron Kirkley chipped in 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Jase Harrison had nine points and three steals in 11 minutes off the bench. Trevor Osborne played just 14 minutes but ripped a team-high seven rebounds.

Asked whether Whitman's depth and broad distribution of minutes might be beneficial later in the season, Bridgeland had a pointed response.

"We have 12 or 13 guys that can play," he said. "It's paying dividends now."