Pacific (OR) Pac 15-11,9-7 NWC

Whitman Whitm 20-6,13-3 NWC

Pacific (OR) Pac

15-11,9-7 NWC

Final

Feb. 23, 2024

Whitman Whitm

20-6,13-3 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Pacific (OR) Pac	30	22	52
Whitman Whitm	41	37	78

Summary
Box Score

Caleb Flegel

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/23/2024 8:50:00 PM

Men's Basketball Cruises Past Pacific In NWC Semifinal

SPOKANE, Wash. - Grant Hunt led four Blues in double figure scoring with a game-high 17 points to guide the Whitman College men's basketball team to a dominant 78-52 win over Pacific in the semifinals of the Northwest Conference Tournament at Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The win gives the Blues (20-6) their third straight appearance in the NWC Tournament title game and will clash, yet again, with the host Whitworth Pirates for the NWC Tournament title. The Bucs topped Puget Sound in the night's other semifinal.

play the winner of top-seeded Whitworth and Puget Sound. Jander Cline stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Alex Pape chipped in 12 points off the bench.

Pacific (15-11) saw contributions from a handful of players, most notably Devin Fortune who scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. The Boxers were no match for the hot-shooting Blues, however, who shot 51% from the field including 44% in three pointers.

Despite the loss, it was a hot start for the Boxers. Jake Blazona nailed a three pointer then was the beneficiary of a Fortune assist off a steal, both helping their team to a 9-2 lead. Whitman then flipped the switch and dialed long distance. Hunt, Pape and Isaiah Amato all hit from three to level the score at 11-11 with 12:48 to play.

Whitman remained hot as Hunt nailed a three pointer in transition and Pape drained another to extend the lead to nine points with 7:03 to play. Cline then got in on the action with a jumper before Deshpande and, again, Pape hit three pointers to bolster the lead to as many as 14 points before halftime.

The second half started slow offensively for both teams, but the Blues continued to keep the Boxers at arm's length. Hunt hit another three pointer and Cline got his layup to go to make it a 48-35 lead with 12:46 to play. Whitman kept its foot on the gas and extended its advantage to 18 points. A pair of Cline buckets sandwiched around a Pape three ball helped make it a 58-40 lead with 9:43 remaining.

The Blues never looked back and cruised to the win.

Whitman tips off the championship game on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m.

#GoWhitman

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