WALLA WALLA, Wash. -
Jai Deshpande scored a game-high 21 points,
Isaiah Amato added 17 more and the Whitman College men's basketball team delivered an 80-64 season-opening win over St. Olaf College on Friday night at the Sherwood Center.
Jander Cline and Grant Hunt both chipped in 11 points with Cline corralling a game-high seven rebounds. The Blues were just a bit better than the Oles in most offensive categories, mainly in bench points where they held a 28-21 advantage.
Connor Martin equalled Deshpande with a game-high 21 points for St. Olaf and Kobe Kirk added 13 points and a team-high five rebounds.
The Blues (1-0) got off to a fast start as Jander Cline hit from distance then got to the hoop to put Whitman up 7-0 with the game just over two minutes old. Martin brought the Oles (0-1) back quickly, hitting a jumper then nailing a three ball as part of a 10-0 run. The Blues rebounded and a competitive game began to unfold. Jachin Mertes hit from three and Deshpande answered with his own triple to help Whitman to a one-point lead at the midway point of the first half.
The Blues slowly took control over the final 10 minutes of the first half. Grant Hunt nailed a three pointer to make it a 26-19 lead with 9:18 to play. Amato then began to heat up, nailing back-to-back baskets to increase the lead to nine points with just under four minutes remaining. Buckets by Cline and Deshpande extended the lead to double digits and the Blues entered the locker room up 40-32.
Whitman pushed the lead back up to double digits early in the second half, but the Oles never let the game slip away. Baskets by Cline and Ali Efe Isik kept the lead at 10 points, but back-to-back hoops by Martin cut the lead to 44-38 with 17:20 to play.
Up nine points, Whitman began to pull away inside of 10 minutes remaining. Deshpande and Amato both scored at the hoop to extend the lead to 13 points, then a corner three pointer from Alex Pape made it a 65-50 ball game with 6:17 to play. Hunt's three ball in the final three minutes put the Blues up 19 and sealed the win.
The Blues conclude their opening weekend on Sunday, Nov. 12 against Carnegie Mellon. Tipoff at the Sherwood Center is set for 3:00 p.m.
Â
#GoWhitman
