GEORGETOWN, Texas - Jai Deshpande led four Blues in double figures with a game-high 17 points on 6-10 shooting, pacing the Whitman College men's basketball team to an 82-73 win over host Southwestern in the final game of the Paul Peak Classic on Sunday afternoon.

Jander Cline scored 15 points and Grant Hunt chipped in 15 more off the bench for the Blues (2-2) who shot season highs of 54% from the field and 44% in three pointers.

Gio Gutierrez led the Pirates with 13 points and Brock Luetchtefeld and Luke Hatcher both chipped in 12 more.

Whitman was dominant in the first half. Deshpande's three pointer put the Blues ahead by five, then Alex Pape drained a triple of his own to extend the lead to 19-11 with 14:12 remaining. 

Later, Deshpande scored at the hoop to cap a 10-0 run and lift the lead to 15 points. The advantage grew to as many as 17 before the Blues took a 45-31 lead into halftime.

Whitman continued to hold a sizable lead in the second half as Deshpande's dunk gave his team a 62-43 lead with 11:52 to play.

Southwestern did not go away quietly. Jacob Hester's three pointer capped a 10-0 run for the Pirates, whittling the lead to 64-60 with 6:32 to play in the game.

Pape halted the run with a three pointer to make it a seven-point game, then Hunt nailed back-to-back triples and all of a sudden the lead was back up to double digits at 73-60 with 4:08 to play.

Isaiah Amato's layup extended the lead to 18 as the Blues cruised to the win.

Whitman closes its Texas trip on Wednesday, Nov. 22 with a visit to the University of Dallas. Read Full Article