WALLA WALLA, Wash. -
Murphy Caffo delivered a season-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds and the Whitman College men's basketball team scored a season high in points with a 113-56 win over Northwest Indian College on Saturday night at the Sherwood Center.
Caffo was utterly unstoppable in the post. He made 9 of 11 shots, most of them in the post as he proved too much for the Eagles to handle. Caffo also led a relentless Whitman (8-1) effort on the boards who were plus-25 in the rebound margin with Caffo corralling a game-high eight. Jai Deshpande added 13 points on 6-7 shooting off the bench.
MyCole Rodriguez and Malachi Rogers led NWIC with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Both teams started hot from the floor. Rogers opened the game with a bucket and Xzavier Lino answered with a driving layup. Deshpande got to the hoop for a bucket to put Whitman up three, but Rodgers hit again, this time a corner three to tie the game.
The Blues then began to take control after scoring nine unanswered points. Niko Trifunovic capped the run with a three pointer as Whitman took a 17-8 lead with 13:36 to play. Alex Pape and Caffo then got in on the action with Caffo getting to the hoop and Pape draining a three ball to give Whitman a double digit lead.
The Eagles didn't let the game slip away just yet as Rogers and Gavin Carlos both hit from the floor to return their deficit to single digits with just under eight minutes to play. The Blues then began to break it open as Walter Lum hit a corner three and Grant Hunt did the same on the opposite side and Whitman took a 59-30 lead into the break.
The game was never in doubt in the second half. Despite a slow start offensively, Whitman's defense was relentless and the offense soon followed. Deshpande and Lino threw down a pair of thunderous dunks in a minute span, and Trifunovic drained a three pointer to lift the lead to 76-36 with 15:28 to play.
The Blues will have a little over a week off before welcoming Millsaps to town. Tipoff at the Sherwood Center is set for Monday, Dec. 19 at 4:00 p.m.
#GoWhitman
