Poets Men's Basketball got their season underway at home on Sunday, November 23, falling short in a 75-71 loss to the Pioneers of Pacific Union College.  While it wasn't the start the Poets were looking for, there were a number of positives that can be taken from the game as they build towards SCIAC play on January 10.

The Poets came out strong, firing on all cylinders for the majority of the first half. Senior Marcus Gibson led the team with three immediate shots from beyond the three-point line. Juniors Jonathon Saucedo and A.J. Manalo displayed an example of team's chemistry, when Saucedo stole the ball and quickly passed to Manalo who broke away for an early score. Sophomore David Hayashi showed his ability to play defense, control the ball down the court and be an offensive threat from all angles. Senior Michael Archuletta also showed promise as a defender and an offensive threat.

The Poets went to the locker room at halftime up 37-28. "We played hard in the first half on the defensive side and we played well offensively" Archuletta said.

Pacific Union came out in the second half strong however. The Pioneers came back and were down by two points with just over sixteen minutes still to be played in the game.        

With eight minutes left in the game, the Pioneers took the lead at 58-55. For the remainder of the game, the two teams fought back and forth for the lead, with neither team taking more than a four-point lead. The game came down to the closing seconds, with the Poets trailing by two. A three-pointer as time wound down fell short for Whittier and Pacific Union tacked on free throws with one second left to take home the 75-71 victory.  

Gibson led offensively with 22 points, including six three-pointers, and had four assists. New members of the Poet squad, 6'4" sophomore Da'mon Perry and 6'7" Senior Keegan Hoover added height and strength to the paint. Perry led the team with 10 rebounds and had 15 points. Hayashi scored 12 points.

The Poets were hindered by inaccurate shooting both from the field and at the free throw line. They went 35-for-80 from the field while shooting just 45 percent from the free throw line. "We need to shoot better from the free throw line," Senior Jeff Mclean said. "We have to rebound better and focus more."

The Poets are at home for their next contest, a clash with NAIA Biola University on November 25.  The game will be played as the second leg of a doubleheader during a "Toys for Tots" fundraiser.  Game one between East LA College and Rio Hondo College takes place at 5:30pm with the Poets' game to follow immediately after.