Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College men's basketball team ended their seven game losing skid Saturday as they cruised to the 87-69 victory over Caltech during PAC the GAC.

Whittier jumped in front 12-3 early and never looked back as they held a lopsided 45-19 advantage at the break en route to the 87-69 victory.  Caltech did outscore the Poets 50-42 in the second half but to no avail as they couldn't make up the large first half deficit.

Midway through the second the Beavers put together a 9-0 run sparked by a three pointer from Andrew Hogue that pulled CIT within 18 and they would pull within 13 minutes later but that's as close as they would get as the Poets would knock down five three throws to seal the victory.    

The Poets shot 51% from the field and 50% from three point territory.  They finished 83% from the charity stripe and forced 21 turnovers.  Despite not winning the battle on the boards (41-33), Whittier saw five player's record double figures led by Chris Barnes-Williams (Salt Lake City, UT) who finished with 22 points on 5-6 shooting.  Eric Jennings (Fontana, Calif.) finished with 15 points to go with two steals and two assists, while Tyree Landrum (Los Angeles, Calif.) came off the bench to chip in with 15 points and seven rebounds.  Jacob Porter (Temecula, Calif.) had 12 points, four assists, and four rebounds on the night, while Nick Demusis (Mililani, HI)  had 10 points, five boards, and three steals.

For Caltech, KC Emezie and Ricky Galliani each had 16 points, while Andrew Hogue was one rebound shy of a double double with 12 points and nine boards.

Whittier returns to the court this Tuesday, February 25 as they host Claremont-M-S beginning at 7:30pm on Senior Night.