Whitman Whitm 8-8,6-1 NWC

Whitworth Whitw 14-2,5-2 NWC

Whitman Whitm

8-8,6-1 NWC

Final

Jan. 21, 2025

Whitworth Whitw

14-2,5-2 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Whitman Whitm	33	31	64
Whitworth Whitw	40	29	69

Summary
Box Score

Caleb Flegel

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/21/2025 10:08:00 PM

Men's Basketball Comes Up Short In Battle of the Whits

SPOKANE, Wash. - Isaiah Amato led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, but in the first edition of the Battle of the Whits the Whitman College men's basketball team came up short to Whitworth 69-64 in Northwest Conference action on Tuesday night.

The league's marquee matchup to date did not disappoint. Both Whitman (8-8, 6-1 NWC) and Whitworth (14-2, 5-2 NWC), the matchup of each of the last three NWC Tournament title games, battled back and forth in the first half and did the same down the stretch in the second which ultimately ended with a Pirate win.

Grant Hunt added nine points and Ali Efe Isik did a little bit of everything with five points, five rebounds, three steals and one block. Despite the loss, the Blues shot 46% from the field with the Bucs only 39%.

Whitworth had a trio of players in double figures led by Garrett Long's 22 points. Long also posted seven rebounds and five assists, with Ty Edwards adding nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The opening half saw the Bucs lead by as many as eight points in the first 10 minutes. Whitman found its stroke through and regained the lead it held in the early moments of the game. Buckets by Milos Sarenac and Amato helped erase an early deficit and put the Blues up 21-17 with nine minutes to play.

Near the end of the half, a quick 7-0 run put Whitworth back in front. Colten Looney hit a pair of three pointers inside the final six minutes, and Long scored in the paint as the Pirates entered halftime up 40-33.

Whitworth extended the lead to eight points early in the second half but Amato pulled open the curtains and took over. He scored on three of Whitman's next four possessions and helped his team to a 44-43 lead with 13:19 to play.

Whitworth led by the slimmest of margins until Amato scored at the hoop to put Whitman up 55-54 with 4:33 to play. Down the stretch, however, Stephen Behil caught fire for the Bucs and scored seven points in a three-minute span to help his team retake the lead and pull away for the win.

The Blues return home for their next conference action, hosting Linfield on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 4:00 p.m.

#GoWhitman

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