WALLA WALLA, Wash. -
Jai Deshpande led a contingent of four players in double figures, scoring a team-high 21 points but not enough to escape the jaws of defeat as the Whitman College men's basketball team fell to Carnegie Mellon 86-75 on Sunday afternoon at the Sherwood Center.
Jander Cline stuffed the stat sheet for the Blues (1-1) with his 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Ale Efe Isik chipped in 13 points and five rebounds, and Alex Pape added 11 points on 5-10 shooting.Â
Justin Allen had a monster game for the Tartans with his game-high 34 points on 13-21 shooting while also collecting nine rebounds.
The Blues were just unable to match an efficient CMU shooting night. The Tartans shot 52% for the game with Whitman shooting 39%. The Blues struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 22% in three pointers and missed several key shots from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter that might have sparked a rally.
A strong first half by both teams saw the Tartans carry a four-point lead into halftime. After the break, Deshpande hit a jumper and Efe Isik drained a three pointer to shave the CMU lead to 42-41 just over a minute into the second half.
Buckley Dejardin then got hot for the Tartans, intercepting a pass and driving in for an easy layup before draining a three pointer and hitting again from the floor to put his team up nine points with 16:12 to play.Â
CMU continued to lead but the Blues stayed within striking distance. Isaiah Amato hit a couple of baskets to keep the lead at five points, then finally the Blues made it all the way back on Pape's layup that tied the score at 63-63 with 9:57 to play.
Whitman continued to remain in the hunt, but CMU quickly regained the lead, one they extended to double digits down the stretch before sealing the win.
The Blues next head to Texas for games against Trinity and Southwestern.
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