Some may have come for the free t-shirts.  Others to try a half court shot for $10,000.  What everyone in attendance at the Graham Athletics Center on February 23rd received was an exciting evening that ended with the Poets erasing a seventeen-point deficit to beat the SCIAC top-seed, Occidental College, 69-65 in the final home game of the season.

Over 1,500 people filled the stands on "PAC the GAC Night" to watch the Poets (13-11, 6-7) take on one of their biggest rivals.  Occidental (20-4, 10-3) opened the scoring on their first possession of the game when Connor Whitman hit his first of seven three-pointers.  They held the lead for the next thirty-eight minutes. 

The Tigers were up by at least five for the majority of the opening stanza, ending the half on a 10-2 run to go into the locker room with a thirteen-point advantage.  They shot 51.7% from the field and connected on five three-pointers.  Whittier shot just 34.5%, went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc and turned the ball over seven times (Oxy committed just four turnovers).  Coupled with halftime festivities where no one could cash in on a $10,000 prize; a potentially raucous crowd became stagnant. 

Whitman continued to pour salt on the Poets' wounds, hitting three's on Occidentals first two possessions and scoring the Tigers' first eight points of the second half.  They led by as many as seventeen early in the half, and were up 52-37 with just 10:29 left in the game. 

It was at that point Whittier began to claw its way back.  Jonathan Saucedo '10, Travis Crow '09 and Vernon Covington '08 knocked down consecutive buckets to cut the deficit to nine with just under nine minutes to play.  But back came Whitman, silencing a reinvigorated crowd with yet another shot from distance.  It was a minor setback for the Poets, who proceeded to go on a 7-0 run capped by a Crow three-pointer that made the score 55-50 with 6:49 to play.  One minute later it was Crow again, dropping another three-point bomb that brought crowd to its feet and the Poets within two points.  After Occidental converted on their ensuing possession, Mike Archuletta '09 scooped up a loose ball and went the length of the floor for a lay-up, getting fouled on the play.  He completed the three-point play to make the score 59-58.  Three free throws extended the Tiger lead to four points.  Crow and Jeff McLean '09 scored back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 62 with 1:45 remaining. 

Once again, Whitman answered a Poet run with a three-pointer to take back the lead.  With the giant crowd pumping energy into an exhausted five Poets that were on the floor for the over half of the final frame, Whittier rose to the occasion.  Archuletta connected on yet another old-fashioned, three-point play to tie the game at 65 with a minute left.  The Tigers failed to convert on their next possession, giving Whittier the ball back with a chance at the final shot to win the game.  McLean got the ball down low and made a move toward the basket, getting fouled in the process and going to the free throw line with six seconds left.  His first shot hit nothing but the bottom of the net to give the Poets their first lead of the night.  His second shot had the same result much to the delight of the very animated crowd. 

Oxy had one more chance, but their long pass on the inbounds play was intercepted by Covington.  He was fouled immediately, and his two free throws sealed the 69-65 victory for Whittier.

The Poets shot 64.3% from the field and made 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the second half.  Archuletta led the Poets with 21 points and seven rebounds.  He was also credited with a pair of steals.  Crow and McLean each finished with 17 points and five rebounds.  Crow went 3-for-4 from long range and McLean led the defense with three blocks and a steal.  Covington scored ten points and blocked two shots.  Saucedo was the floor general for the Poets during the second-half comeback, playing all of his 16 minutes in the closing frame, dishing out three assists.

Whitman finished with a game-high 25 points for Occidental.  Chris Pitcher scored 17 points and grabbed five boards. 

The Poets play their season finale on February 26, when they travel to Caltech for a 7:30pm SCIAC showdown.