WALLA WALLA, Wash. -
Xzavier Lino led a well-balanced scoring effort and tied a career-high with 25 points and the Whitman College men's basketball team scored a season-high 61 first-half points en route to a 105-68 win over Walla Walla University on Saturday night at the Sherwood Center.
The Blues shot a scorching 58% from the floor with a combined 15 three pointers. Whitman brought it on the defensive end as well and ran the Wolves off the boards to the tune of a 40-25 rebound advantage. Lino's 25 points came in only 25 minutes and on an impressive 9-11 shooting. Jai Deshpande added 16 points off the bench on 4-7 shooting from three and Walter Lum and Nikola Trifunovic both chipped in 12 points.
Ethan Ford led the Wolves with 19 points (7-15) and Andrew Vaughn added 16 more.
Whitman wasted no time in exerting its dominance over the Wolves. Grant Hunt found Ali Efe Isik for the game's opening bucket, then found him again on the break and the Blues were off and running to a 9-0 run to start the game. The Blues continued their hot shooting as Lum and Lino nailed back-to-back three pointers to extend the lead to 15-4 only 2:31 into the game.
WWU didn't let the Blues run away with the game just yet. Vaughn hit consecutive jumpers, the second of the Eurostep variety, to trim the lead to six points. Whitman responded with urgency and ran off 11 unanswered points. Trifunovic's corner three capped the run and Whitman led 34-16 with 9:02 to play until halftime.
Whitman extended the lead to north of 20 points late in the half and closed on an 11-2 to head into the locker room up 31 points.
The Blues never let WWU into the game in the second half. Lino hit a three pointer on Whitman's opening possession, then later Hunt added a three ball of his own and Efe Isik got to the hoop for a score as Whitman led 72-35 with 16:02 to play in the game.
Next up for the Blues is the opening of Northwest Conference play. Whitman will visit Pacific Lutheran on Friday, Dec. 2 and face Puget Sound the next day.
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