Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Men's Basketball team put together the most lopsided victory over Claremont-M-S in Head Coach Rock Carter's tenure Saturday afternoon cruising to the lopsided 84-61 victory in the Graham Athletic Center.

It has been three years since the Poets have beaten the Stags with the last coming back in 2013 when they won 84-80.  Over the past ten years CMS holds a record of 2-17 over the Purple & Gold.

It was all Whittier (6-5, 2-1 SCIAC) Saturday, as they used an 14-0 run to start off the game stunning the 18-time Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Champs. 

Behind four three pointers from Ben Maynard (Pasadena, Calif.), Louis Kurihara (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), and Andrew Torres (Whittier, Calif.) and a lay-up from Eric Jennings (Fontana, Calif.) the Poets were off to their best start for the season shooting a perfect 100% from the field in the first five minutes of action.

They remained hot from deep as they would add another three triples for the half that kept them in front despite a mini-run from CMS that pulled them within seven at 24-17.  But that's as close as the Stags would get as Whittier would enter the half leading 44-36.

Whittier continued where they left off at the start of the second half with a 9-2 run with a three-pointer and lay-up coming from Torres and two lay-ins from Jennings.  This moved the lead to 53-38 and the Poets didn't look back as they got out in front by as many as 31 late in the second half en route to the lopsided victory. 

Whittier had an impressive shooting night going 59% from the field and 52% from deep.  They held a slight edge 29-28 on the glass, picked up 22 assists, had 40 points in the paint, and got 31 points from the bench. 

Torres led the scoring effort for the second straight game with 17 coming on 7-of-8 shooting, which included going 3-of-4 from deep, along with seven boards, and five assists.  Jennings proved lethal at the point with 15 points and five assists, Anthony Martinez (Cerritos, Calif.) chipped in with 13 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting and Maynard led the attack from deep with 11 points going 4-of-8 from the field with five rebounds and four assists.

A big impact player for the Poets off the bench was junior Richard Kaye (Irvine, Calif.) who came in and provided a spark inside for the Purple & Gold who was perfect from the field going 4-of-4 for nine points, while grabbing three rebounds.      

Whittier has a big week with two road match-ups beginning with Pomona-Pitzer, Wednesday, January 13 beginning at 7:30pm before traveling to Thousand Oaks, Calif. this Saturday, January 16 when they take on Cal Lutheran University beginning at 2:00pm.