Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Whittier College men's basketball team attempted to act as spoiler on Cal Lutheran's senior night Saturday and after playing for 55 minutes the Poets found themselves on the opposite end of a 111-108 loss in triple overtime.

This marks the fifth overtime game Whittier (13-9, 7-6 SCIAC) has played this season and the second triple overtime contest and they are now 3-2 in these games.  With the loss the Poets remain in fourth place in the SCIAC Standings and have a slight edge over Pomona-Pitzer head-to-head who are at 7-6 as well. 

The previous time these two teams met the Poets also fell in extra time back on January 27 78-76.

Whittier held a 14 point lead with ten minutes to play and had a 99-97 lead with :15 seconds left in the second overtime period but both times CLU managed to fight their way back to even things up.  The teams exchanged 10 points in the first five minute period and just scored six apiece in the second OT. The difference came between minutes 50 and 55 as Cal Lutheran outscored Whittier 12-9.

Smith put Cal Lutheran up 93-91 in the first OT period but after a Whittier timeout, Jacob Contreras (Pasadena, Calif.) would come up big with a jumper as time expired that kept the Poets in the game.

Eric Jennings (Fontana, Calif.) had an opportunity to put the Poets up three with :15 remaining in the second overtime but missed one of two free throws allowing Smith to come down for the game tying layup that forced the final period.     

Though CLU and WC had identical shooting showings in overtime (7-for-20) and each knocked down a three-pointer, the difference came at the charity stripe where the Kingsmen went 13-for-17 and the Poets converted 10-for-13, which was the ultimate difference maker.

Whittier held a slight 48-47 lead at the break after a buzzer beater from Arik Smith that pulled the Kingsmen within one.  After the intermission, the teams exchanged baskets, but it was the Poets who pulled away, opening a 15-point lead in the second half, setting the stage for the dramatic CLU comeback.

CLU chipped away until a missed CLU free-throw landed in the hands of Guy Lynott who put it away for the first Cal Lutheran lead of the second stanza with 3:20 remaining in regulation. The rest is history as the lead changed numerous times over the final three minutes and nearly ended on a winning buzzer beater for the home team, but the release of the ball on an offensive rebound was second's late, forcing overtime.

Overall, Whittier shot 37.1 percent from three-point range, pouring in 13 from behind the arc, while overall combining for a slightly better shooting night than Cal Lutheran at 48.1 percent. The Kingsmen grabbed more rebounds than the Poets, holding a 48-44 edge.

Jennings finished the game with a team high 31 points and was one off a double double with nine boards.  He also had four assists and four steals.  He was joined by Nick Demusis (Mililani, HI) who had 28 points, five assists, and seven boards, while Andrew Torres (Whittier, Calif.) picked up a double double posting 22 points and 12 rebounds.    

Andrew Bucholtz (Lone Tree, CO) was the other Poet in double figures with 10 points and collected seven boards and three blocks.      

Whittier has a short turnaround as they host Occidental College Tuesday, February 17 beginning at 7:30pm during the "White Out".