Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 15, 2022) – Seniors Nick Colosi (La Mirada, Calif. / La Mirada) and Ahmad Young (Sunnyvale, Calif. / De Anza College) led the charge for the Whittier College men's basketball team in an 81-65 win at Occidental College on Saturday afternoon.

The Poets entered Saturday's contest coming off a tough loss to one of the SCIAC's premier programs and defending conference champions Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, but channelled the lessons learned in that game into Saturday's road outing. The Poets acquitted themselves well in all aspects of the game, but particularly on the offensive and defensive glass where they outrebounded the Tigers, 49-35. It was here that players like Colosi and senior center Kyle Price (Rocklin, Calif. / Cal Maritime Academy) particularly shined with the former player earning a double-double for the big effort while the ladder player finished just one rebound shy. The seniors would go on to combine for 21 of the Poets' 49 rebounds for the game as the Tigers had difficulty matching the pace and effort level of Whittier's upperclassmen. The Poets' proficiency in the paint also extended to their ability to defend the home team. Whittier blanked Oxy down low, as all of the Tigers' points came from either outside the paint or at the free throw line. 

Whittier combined its stingy low-post defense with a dominant offensive game from the outside. Freshman guard Kunal Bagga (Anaheim, Calif. Servite) opened scoring for the Poets with a three-pointer just over 90 seconds into the first half, while Young would pick things up from there. The senior shot an accurate 6-for-9 from deep and finished the game with 25 points, his sixth game of the season with at least 20 points. The Poets' ability to convert on outside opportunities helped them skirt any kind of danger over the full 40 minutes. They took a 43-29 lead into halftime and didn't look back in what will go down as their most convincing SCIAC victory to date this season. While Whittier couldn't measure up to its perfect night at the free throw line against the Sagehens on Wednesday, they did manage to take 29 foul shots over the game, 21 of which came during the second half. Bagga led Whittier with this area with five of his 10 points coming at the free throw line. The Poets also got meaningful contributions off the bench from the likes of juniors Bryant Howing (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Rio Hondo College) (nine points, six rebounds) and Ethan Battistini (Angwin, Calif. College of Marin) (five points, six rebounds).

Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets will look to capitalize on their strong week when they travel to Chapman University (3-2 SCIAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), Facebook, YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!