TACOMA, Wash. -
Walter Lum scored a game-high 19 points including a late, back-breaking three pointer to seal a 66-62 win by the Whitman College men's basketball team over the University of Puget Sound in Northwest Conference action on Saturday night at Memorial Fieldhouse.
Nikola Trifunovic added 10 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Blues who improved to 7-1 overall and a perfect 2-0 after their opening weekend of conference play. Whitman's depth was on display as Trifunovic and Jai Deshpande (9 pts) led a Whitman effort that was plus-21 in bench scoring.
Mussie Teclemariam led three Loggers in double figures with 15 points while also adding five rebounds.
Whitman led most of the first half. Alex Pape's three pointer tied the game early and Desphande put the Blues up 10-8 just over five minutes into the game. The Blues slowly extended the lead beginning with Trifunovic's three pointer that capped an 8-0 run and put Whitman up 21-13 with 8:32 to play in the half.
UPS regrouped and whittled the lead to three points but, after Lum stole the ball and found Deshpande for an easy dunk, the Blues had pushed the lead back up to seven points. Whitman caught fire down the stretch and extended the lead to 10 points by halftime.
Though the Loggers threatened in the second half, a composed Whitman never lost the lead. Timely buckets by a handful of Blues kept UPS at arm's length and lifted them to the win. Murphy Caffo put his stamp on the game early, working his way in the paint and scoring a pair of buckets to put Whitman up 40-31 with 16:13 to play.
UPS threatened midway through the half, twice shaving its deficit to four points off baskets from Dezman Baker and Drew Gillette. Pape responded with another three pointer and Lum sank a mid-range jumper and all of a sudden the advantage was back up to double digits.
The Loggers nearly came all the way back, however, when Taj Phillips nailed a three pointer to make it a 61-59 game with 1:53 to play. On the next possession, Grant Hunt grabbed a crucial offensive rebound and found Lum who drained a three pointer to put Whitman up by five points with 1:28 to play.
The Blues won't return to conference action until January but will look to keep it rolling when they host Northwest Indian College on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3:00 p.m.
Â
#GoWhitman
