Men's Basketball starts season 2-1

Issue 12, Joshua De Bets, Men's basketball, Sports - By Joseph Marlitt on Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 04:06

This Thanksgiving Break saw the end of the NBA lockout that cancelled the first month of the 2011-2012 season as well as the beginning of the Poets Men’s Basketball season. Whittier went 2-1 during the vacation with both wins coming on the road. Whittier lost their home opener to the Louis and Clark Pioneers 72-67 and then beat the Vanguard Lions 93-78 and West Coast Baptist 115-83.

The Poets had their home opener on Sunday, Nov. 20 against the Louis and Clark Pioneers. The first-half was a seesaw battle as each team remained even throughout and traded the lead back and forth. A pair of free throws at the end of the 2nd quarter by senior forward Donato Perconti gave Lewis and Clark a 5-point lead at the half.

Whittier senior forward Drew Menez led the team with 21 points and 28 minutes. Senior forward Nathaniel Easterman also contributed 15 points and four rebounds of his own.

The scored continued to move back and forth until the Poets opened up a five point lead with four minutes left to play in the game.

Despite the efforts, the Poets lost a late 5-point lead as the Pioneers forced six turnovers in the last three minutes. With 3:44 remaining in the game, Pioneer junior guard James Hollis made a jumper that put Lewis and Clark up by one as the Pioneers held onto the lead and won by 5.

The Poets rebounded against the Vanguard Lions on the road on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Menez led the Poets to a 93-78 victory with his 17 points and 8-16 shooting. The bench also chipped in with 38 points, led by senior guard Brandon Thomas’s 14 points.

The first half went back-and-forth until the Lions’ Christopher Raybon made 7 straight points that put Vanguard up by 7. Whittier slowly picked away the lead and narrowed the gap to 51-49 going into halftime.

The game remained close throughout the second half until the Poets took over with eleven minutes remaining in the game. Sophomore forward Tyree Landrum and senior guard Brandon Thomas had back-to-back layups that sealed the victory against Vanguard.

The Poets defensive also shut down the Lion offense in the 2nd half, holding them to a shooting percentage of 28. The 12 forced turnovers by Whittier proved to be the difference as the Purple and Gold won their first game of the season 93-78.
The Poets’ next test was once again on the road, this time against West Coast Baptist on Monday, Nov. 28.

Whittier erupted with 115 points and sailed to a 115-83 victory against Baptist. The Poets led in bench points, points off turnovers and total rebounds. It was also the first game of the season that Whittier College eclipsed the 100-point mark.

Easterman had eight rebounds and 18 points on 8-17 shooting. Junior point guard Willie Mebane also threw in 14 points of his own, on 6-10 shooting. Thomas also shot 4-8 from the field and had 11 points with six rebounds, while shooting 3-5 beyond the 3-point line.

The Poets’ offensive looks high-powered early on led by Easterman, Menez and Mebane. The defense has also held its own and forced timely tunrovers that led to late wins on the road against the Lions and the pummeling of West Coast Baptist.

The Purple and Gold look to take the energy of their two-game winning streak to the Vopata Classic in St. Louis, Mo on Friday, Dec. 2 against Washington University.

The Poets return home on Thursday Dec., 19 against Widener College at 7:30 p.m, looking for their first home win.