Linfield Linf 7-12,5-6 NWC

Whitman Whitm 9-12,4-8 NWC

Linfield Linf

7-12,5-6 NWC

Final

Feb. 07, 2026

Whitman Whitm

9-12,4-8 NWC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Linfield Linf	16	24	40
Whitman Whitm	30	34	64

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/7/2026 7:29:00 PM

Men's Basketball Cruises Past Linfield, Efe Isik Moves Up All-Time Scoring Ladder

WALLA WALLA, Wash. - The Whitman College men's basketball team turned Sherwood Center into a defensive clinic Saturday night, suffocating Linfield in a 64-40 Northwest Conference win that featured a milestone moment for senior guard Ali Efe Isik. With the victory, the Blues improved to 9-12 overall and 4-8 in conference play, while holding the Wildcats to just 31.5 percent shooting from the field and 21.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Offensively, Isik powered Whitman with a game-high 18 points on 7-for-16 shooting, including 2-for-5 from three and 2-for-3 at the line, while adding five rebounds, one assist, two steals and no turnovers in 29 minutes. In the process, he climbed into No. 7 on the Whitman all-time career scoring list, punctuating the night with multiple downhill finishes and rhythm threes that repeatedly halted any hint of Linfield momentum.

From the opening tip, Whitman's pressure set the tone as the hosts forced 14 Linfield turnovers and converted them into 14 points, repeatedly turning stops into transition chances. Linfield managed only 16 points in the first half and never led, as Whitman built a 30-16 advantage at the break behind connected half-court defense, strong rebounding and timely shot-making. The Blues finished the night with a 41-30 edge on the glass and limited Linfield to just five second-chance points despite the Wildcats' 17 offensive rebounds.

Jacob Fotu provided a dominant interior complement, posting 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double while going 6-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-4 from deep. Djordje Lazarevic added 11 points, four rebounds and a block, and Ken Higgins and Xavier Santana chipped in six points apiece to round out a balanced Whitman attack that hit 42.4 percent from the field and an efficient 44.0 percent from long range.

Whitman's decisive push came in the second half, when the Blues outscored Linfield 34-24 and stretched the margin to as many as 29 points with a 15-0 run that broke the game open. Santana's energy was a key spark during that stretch, as the guard tallied six points, five rebounds, an assist and a plus-13 in just under 10 minutes, while the trio of Fotu, Higgins and Sarp Gokberk combined to knock down six second-half threes that buried the Wildcats' hopes of a comeback. Whitman shot 46.4 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three after halftime, pairing that efficiency with just four turnovers over the final 20 minutes.

On the other side, Linfield never found sustained rhythm against Whitman's switching and help schemes, finishing 17-for-54 from the field and 4-for-19 from three. Garrett Callsen led the Wildcats with 14 points but needed 13 shots to get there, while Chase Bennett, Dayton Magana and Kohsuke Fujiwara were held to a combined 16 points on 6-for-21 shooting. Whitman also controlled tempo, winning the fast-break points 5-2 and keeping Linfield off-balance in the half court with active hands that produced seven steals and constant pressure at the point of attack.

#GoWhitman

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