WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Jaron Kirkley scored a game-high 24 points, Robert Colton delivered a double double with a monster 18 points and 14 rebounds and the Whitman College men's basketball team pulled away late to top George Fox 100-94 in Northwest Conference action, Friday night at the Sherwood Center.

The win was a solid response for the Blues (17-5, 12-1 NWC) who saw their conference win streak snapped at 67 games last weekend at Lewis & Clark. The win keeps Whitman shoulder-to-shoulder with rival Whitworth for the league's top spot.

Five Bruin players scored in double figures led by Michael Mercado-Smith's 18 points off the bench. Zach Sly also added to George Fox's bench presence with 11 points and eight rebounds.

The teams shot fairly evenly for the game, but swarming Whitman defense forced George Fox into a 4-18 (22%) three-point shooting performance. Thanks in large part to Colton's dominance and Kirkley successful getting to the hoop, the Blues finished plus-14 in points in the paint and took excellent care of the ball with only eight turnovers.

The result was in jeopardy heading to the late stages of the game. Leading for a good chunk of the second half, the Bruins held a four-point lead off jumpers from Sly and Ryan Lacey with 5:12 to play. That was the moment the Blues turned it on. After Duckett went one-for-two at the line, Kirkley nailed a three pointer to spearhead a 12-0 run and put Whitman in the driver's seat inside of three minutes to play. Trevor Osborne's jumper put his team up 10 points with just over a minute to play and Colton's late dunk sealed the win.

The first half saw each team hold sizable leads. Whitman turned a seven-point deficit into a 13-point lead off jumpers from Darne Duckett and Kirkley. The Bruins battled back as Jackson Januit and Mercado-Smith nailed back-to-back three pointers to shave their deficit to three points.

Januik opened the second half with another three pointer to tie up the game then put his team up two with a layup at the 17:45 mark. The George Fox lead tinkered around six points as the game approached the midway point of the second half, but the Bruins were unable to pull away due to timely Whitman plays on both ends of the floor. Whitman hung around and the effort paid dividends in the form of a big finish.

The Blues close out the weekend with a senior day matchup on Saturday vs. Pacific (Ore.). Tip time is set for 5:00 p.m.