Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2021) – The Whittier College men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season with a bang on Saturday night, defeating California Miramar University, 123-77. The Poets posted their greatest team assist total in seven years, putting on an offensive showcase for the fans in attendance in the team's first home game in nearly two years.

Senior Ahmad Young (Sunnyvale, Calif. / De Anza College) led the Poets with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, headlined by a perfect 8-for-8 night at the free-throw line. Young's first 15 points of the night came as part of a big first half where the Poets led the Fighting Falcons, 53-25 by its conclusion, though they were never in any immediate danger and even started the game on a 13-0 run. A layup from junior wing Jordan Kanoe (San Antonio, Texas / Santa Monica College) followed by a trey from senior Nick Colosi (La Mirada, Calif. / La Mirada) opened the game for the Poets, allowing the home team to set an offensive tone that would carry for the rest of the game. 

Thanks to their stellar guard play, the Poets were able to find openings in the Fighting Falcons defense all night long. Senior point guard Journey Shank (Burbank, Calif. / Crescenta Valley) put his ability to facilitate on full display with a six-assist outing while playing just 23 minutes. Freshman Kunal Bagga (Anaheim, Calif. / Servite), meanwhile, had an equally stellar debut outing off the bench, leading the Poets with seven assists, the most assists a single Whittier player has had coming off the bench in more than 15 years. The rookie guard also scored nine points to go with five rebounds. The vision from the Poets' guard opened things up on the outside for players like junior transfer Bryant Howing (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Rio Hondo College) and freshman Cameron Stiepock (Glastonbury, Conn. / St. Andrew's Prep), who combined for eight three-pointers while playing under 20 minutes each. Howing proved to be particularly dominant from the outside, going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc to give him 19 points.

Other double-digit scorers for the Poets included freshman wing Brent Smith (Atlanta, Ga. / Archer), along with Kanoe and Colosi, though 14 of a possible 15 players scored points for the Poets in an extremely efficient team-shooting performance. The Poets shot a collective 55.8 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from three-point land while converting on nearly four out of every five free throw attempts. The Poets should continue to see success if they can get to the line as they did on Saturday night (29 FTA), as they had just one game with more free throw attempts during the 2019-20 season. Whittier otherwise had an answer for Cal Miramar in every single statistical metric. While this won't always be the case, the Poets do have some momentum behind them to begin the 2021-22 campaign.

Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 16 when they host Bethesda University for a 7 p.m. game.

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