UC Santa Cruz UCSC 4-6,0-0 C2C

Whitman Whitm 5-3,1-1 NWC

UC Santa Cruz UCSC

4-6,0-0 C2C

Final

Dec. 08, 2023

Whitman Whitm

5-3,1-1 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
UC Santa Cruz UCSC	37	28	65
Whitman Whitm	32	42	74

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/8/2023 10:33:00 PM

Men's Basketball Edges UC Santa Cruz

WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Jai Deshpande led all scorers with 19 points, Jander Cline added 13 more and the Whitman College men's basketball team took down UC Santa Cruz 74-65 in a hard-fought, scrappy affair on Friday night at the Sherwood Center.

Isaiah Amato chipped in seven points and nine rebounds for the Blues (5-3) who were aided late by two stellar plays from Grant Hunt. After Cline's layup put Whitman up by three with 1:33 to play, Hunt pickpocketed Ian McClosky near midcourt which led to two more points on the other end. On the next possession, he stood in for an offensive foul on a moving screen which all but sealed the win.

Tyson Keating led three UCSC (4-6) players in double figures with 15 points, and Zino Okah chipped in a double double with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Points were at a premium in a tight first half. Finding lanes and open shots proved difficult for both teams due some strong interior defending. The Slugs did get the upper hand early, however, opening the game with three pointers from Okah and Keating.

UCSC later opened up a seven-point lead after a host of Banana Slugs got in on the action for a 13-2 run. The Whitman shots began to fall as Cooper Crawford got to the hoop for a bucket before Hunt hit from three to whittle the lead to two points. The lead ballooned back up to nine points but Amato stopped the bleeding with a three pointer. Aiden von Buchwaldt later hit from the floor to make it a one-point game with 2:43 to play, but UCSC would keep the lead at the break as Ryan Wilson hit a corner three to give his team a 37-32 halftime lead.

The Blues tied the game early in the second half on an Amato bucket, but Okah hit from three to put the Slugs back up by five with 15:47 to play. Whitman responded and took a 47-46 lead on a Hunt three pointer, but UCSC again went back out in front when Okah glided into the lane for an easy bucket.

The game remained tight down the stretch. Deshpande gave his team a one point lead with a three pointer and, later, Alex Pape broke a 56-56 tie with a three ball of his own with 6:12 to play. McCloskey later gave the Slugs a two-point lead after three made free throws, but the Blues took control from there. Hunt came alive defensively and Whitman was near perfect from the free throw line to close out the win.

The Blues conclude the weekend with a matchup against No. 24 Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Saturday's tipoff at the Sherwood Center is set for 6:00 p.m.

#GoWhitman

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