WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Whitman was forced to play all but the opening two minutes without junior Austin Butler after he emerged from a loose-ball scuffle with a cut on his lip that required a row of stitches.

What ensued played out like an homage to what is perhaps the most exceptional of Butler's many talents.

The top-ranked Blues swiped 19 steals and squeezed 36 turnovers in overwhelming Gallaudet University 122-58 in a nonconference men's basketball game Saturday evening at Sherwood Athletic Center.

Even without one of the nation's elite hardwood thieves, Whitman completely dismantled the Bison.

"Next-play mode: That's kind of what we live by," said first-year point guard Darné Duckett, who was one of seven Blues players with at least two steals. "When someone goes out, someone fouls out, you can't sulk about that. Pressure, pressure, pressure: That's all we do in practice."

Junior Joey Hewitt led all scorers -- and paced six teammates in double figures -- with 25 points (in just 20 minutes) for Whitman (2-0), which set a new season-high in scoring one night after putting up more points (113) against Waynesburg than it scored in any game during the 2016-17 season.

Jack Stewart added 17 points, hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers. Tim Howell was 3 of 4 from deep and had 15 points and five assists. Ben Beatie came off the bench for 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and dunks on consecutive possessions during a stretch of personal dominance late in the second half. Trevor Osborne had 11 points, five rebounds and two steals. Robert Colton had 10 points, four offensive rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.

Duckett and fellow freshman Bryce Mulder added nine points apiece, and Cedric Jacobs-Jones had eight.

"This goes back to Costa Rica, when we knew Jase (Harrison) couldn't play this season," said Beatie. "We've just had guys stepping up ever since. It's always 'next man up.' I know that sounds cliché, but the way we practice, we get so many reps with so many different combinations that our comfort level just builds."

Gallaudet (Washington, D.C.) of the North Eastern Athletic Conference is one of the country's top schools for the deaf and hard of hearing. The Bison won 20 games last season, narrowly missing the national tournament.

But they could not solve Whitman's labyrinthine kudzu of a defense.

Deep into the game, Gallaudet still faced a telling statistical deficit: with just under eight minutes to play, it had more turnovers (33) than field goal attempts (32).

"We bait teams into thinking they have a lane," said Duckett, "and then we cut it off."

Stewart, Colton and Beatie had three steals each. Hewitt, Howell, Duckett and Osborne had two apiece. Jacobs-Jones and Jaron Kirkley both had one.

The highlight reel Saturday was funded primarily by rookies or players that saw limited minutes last season. Beatie drew roars with a steal and breakaway jam at the 14:15 mark, then found himself in transition after a Gallaudet turnover, Duckett slicing down the middle on the dribble. Duckett's lob pass led Beatie perfectly for a one-handed alley-oop flush.

Mulder was the capable recipient of another 'oop dime from Duckett -- his team-high seventh assist -- inside the final four minutes, catching and slamming to thunderous approbation.

And sophomore Andrew Harvey supplied the most emphatic blocked shot of the night late in the second half.

"We're taking each game one-by-one," Duckett said. "We're just focused on our next game, on doing what we need to do, defensively. We're just trying to perfect what we do."

Emphasis on the "we."

Whitman visits Walla Walla University for a nonconference game at 3 p.m. Wednesday.