TACOMA, Wash. - Ali Efe Isik led four Blues in double figures with 22 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds,
Jai Deshpande added 13 points, six rebounds and five steals and the Whitman College men's basketball team won a wire-to-wire contest 74-69 at the University of Puget Sound to kick off the final weekend of Northwest Conference play.
Jander Cline chipped in 13 points off the bench for the Blues (18-6, 12-3 NWC) who are locked into a spot in the NWC Tournament with their exact seeding to be determined following Saturday night's slate of league games.
Taj Phillips led the Loggers with 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds and Dezman Baker chipped in 10 points and eight boards.
The game was tight from the get-go. Grant Hunt and Liam Ruttledge traded three pointers, and Baker later hit a three ball of his own to put UPS up 16-15 with 10:17 to play in the first half. Ruttledge again hit from three, but Efe Isik scored at the hoop on back-to-back Whitman possessions to tie the game at 21-21 with 6:45 to play.
UPS again pushed the lead back up to six points but Whitman responded with an 11-2 late half run. Efe Isik started the push with a jumper and Gabe Latkovich tied the game with a bucket of his own with 2:56 left in the half. Efe Isik nailed a three pointer inside of one minute to play and Whitman carried a one-point lead into the break.
The second half opened with an Isiah Amato steal and layup, and Cline and Deshpande nailing back-to-back three pointers to give Whitman a 42-39 lead with 15:52 to play. Alex Pape then got in on the action, drilling a three pointer to put the Blues up by six points, but the Loggers responded and tied the game at 47-47 after back-to-back buckets from Phillips.
Whitman again recaptured the momentum and opened up a seven-point lead off a Hunt three pointer. The Loggers responded in kind and whittled the lead back down to a point after Baker's layup made it a 54-53 score with 7:12 to play in the game.
The Blues continued to lead but UPS made it all the way back after two made free throws tied the game at 57-57 with 4:27 remaining. Pape broke the tie with another three pointer and the Blues never lost the lead again, securing the victory after timely buckets and made throws - 25-26 for the game - sealed the win.
Whitman closes the regular season on Saturday at Pacific Lutheran. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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