102

Elmhurst ELM 11-0,3-0 CCIW

Whitman Whitm 7-4,1-1 NWC

Elmhurst ELM

11-0,3-0 CCIW

102

Final

Dec. 28, 2023

Whitman Whitm

7-4,1-1 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Elmhurst ELM	47	55	102
Whitman Whitm	37	55	92

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/28/2023 10:03:00 PM

Men's Basketball Nearly Completes Historic Comeback In Loss To No. 15 Elmhurst

WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Ale Efe Isiki scored a game and career-high 32 points and nearly helped the Blues erase a 32-point second half deficit. The monumental effort and near-historic comeback would fall short however as the Whitman College men's basketball team lost to 15th-ranked Elmhurst University on Thursday night at the Sherwood Center.

Efe Isik added 11 rebounds for the Blues who, despite holding a double-digit lead in the first half, trailed 75-43 after an Ocean Johnson jumper with 12:40 to play in the game. Needing to force turnovers and convert on the other end, Whitman did just that with a quick 8-0 run capped by an Alex Pape three pointer.

The Bluejays still held a 22-point lead with 4:10 to play but then Efe Isik came alive on both sides of the ball. After converting an and-one three-point play, he stole the ensuing inbounds pass and found Pape for a bucket who also was fouled and completed his three point play to shave the deficit to 16 points.

Elmhurst pushed the lead back up to 20, but a pair of quick buckets from Efe Isik and a corner three pointer from Isaiah Amato made it a 13-point game with 2:08 to play. With under a minute to play, Efe Isik brought the Blues to as close as six points after converting yet another three-point play, but Whitman simply ran out of time as Elmhurst escaped with the win.

Tagen Pearson led the Bluejays (11-0) with 23 points and Johnson added 21 points and nine rebounds. Three other players scored in double figures for the Blues who were without Jander Cline after the senior forward exited the game following an awkward fall on the opening tip. Amato scored 16 points, Jai Deshpande added 14 more and Pape chipped in 11 points off the bench.

Whitman looked sharp in the first half and used a 10-3 run to go up 10 points midway through the half. Back-to-back Amato baskets and a run-capping three pointer from Deshpande put the Blues up 24-14 with 11:55 to play until halftime. Elmhurst finally got its shots to fall and rallied to take the lead. The Bluejays closed the half on a 13-3 run and took a 10-point lead into the break.

With non-conference pay behind them, Whitman returns to NWC play next week with a Tuesday, Jan. 2 game at Whitworth. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m.

#GoWhitman

Print Friendly Version