Pacific (OR) Pac 3-3,0-1 NWC

Whitman Whitm 4-2,1-0 NWC

Pacific (OR) Pac

3-3,0-1 NWC

Final

Dec. 01, 2023

Whitman Whitm

4-2,1-0 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Pacific (OR) Pac	39	46	85
Whitman Whitm	50	47	97

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/1/2023 10:42:00 PM

Men's Basketball Cruises Past Pacific In NWC Opener

WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Isaiah Amato poured in a game-high 23 points, Jai Deshpande and Jander Cline added 22 and 20 more, respectively, and the Whitman College men's basketball team cruised past Pacific 97-85 on Friday night in the Northwest Conference opener for both teams.

Amato's total line was impressive as he added seven assists and six rebounds. Deshpande corralled a game-high nine rebounds for a near double double and Ale Efe Isik added 11 points off the bench. The Blues as a team shot over 50% from the field.

Lucas Winkler led the way for the Boxers (3-3, 0-1 NWC) with team highs of 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Boxers started strong with Devin Fortune converting back-to-back layups to help his team to an early 6-0 lead. Sean Johnson got the Blues (4-2, 1-0 NWC) on the board with a bucket and later Deshpande gave Whitman its first lead at 7-6 with 15:53 to play. The half remained tight until Amato hit from the floor and Gabe Latkovich converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give Whitman an 18-12 lead with 11:58 to play.

The offense then clicked for the Blues in a big way. Back door cuts led to a pair of baseline dunks from Deshpande and another from Efe Isik. In the midst of the dunk fest, Cooper Crawford drove into the paint and found a wide open Amato who drained a corner three to extend to a 23-12 lead.

Desphande later added a three pointer to give his team a 30-17 lead with 8:31 remaining. Baskets from Winkler and Zachary Bates helped whittle the lead to four points, but the Blues pushed the advantage back to double digits and headed to the locker room up 50-39.

Whitman began to pull away as the second half got underway. Layups from Efe Isik and Latkovich put the Blues up 12, then Alex Pape drained a three pointer and extended the lead to 63-48 with 14:36 to play. Only moments later, Crawford drained a rainbow corner three and Whitman took its largest lead of the game at 66-50.

Three pointers from Lucas Gray and Gabe Abbott kept the Boxers within striking distance, but Deshpande kept Pacific at bay. He continued to hit from deep and threw down another pair of dunks to later push the lead to 17 points. Whitman was stingy down the stretch defensively and cruised to the win.

The Blues close their NWC opening weekend on Saturday against Willamette. Tipoff at the Sherwood Center is set for 6:00 p.m.

#GoWhitman

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