Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

ORANGE, Calif. (Jan. 26, 2022) – The Whittier College men's basketball team brought a similar level of skill and energy to its previous three games when they took on Chapman University in Wednesday night's SCIAC road game.

The Poets hung tough with the Panthers, currently the SCIAC's third-ranked team (5-2) for the majority of the contest, even posing as the more offensively efficient team in the first half, shooting a collective 42-percent from the field. Senior guard Ahmad Young (Sunnyvale, Calif. / De Anza College) found openings in the Panthers' defense early, scoring 11 of his 17 points over the game's opening stanza to bring the Poets within four points going into the break. Whittier also measured up to its conference foe in the free-throw shooting department. The Poets had another stellar evening from the line, converting on 17 of 20 free throw attempts with junior guard Bryant Howing (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Rio Hondo College) coming off the bench to account for seven of the conversions. The Poets' efficiency for the game extended beyond the free-throw line, however, with senior Nick Colosi (La Mirada, Calif. / La Mirada) and junior Jordan Kanoe (San Antonio, Texas / Santa Monica College) shooting plus-50 percent for the game to join Young in double figures.

Whittier was also able to continue a trend of cutting down on the turnovers. While the Panthers came out slightly ahead in the turnover battle, the Poets still managed hang on to the basketball at a rate better than their season average. Colosi had another big game in this way, distributing the basketball to the tune of a 4:1 assist-turnover ratio. Chapman's inside scoring came on in a big way late, but even as it did Whitier continued to hold its own with the home team in the paint with both teams posting virtually identical team rebounding numbers. Colosi, along with junior center Ethan Battistini (Angwin, Calif. / College of Marin) carried the load for the Purple & Gold in this area with 13 combined rebounds. Battistini also logged a season-high 27 minutes off the bench and played 17 minutes in the second half as the Poets looked to keep pace with the Panthers. The junior utilized his strong inside-outside game to put up nine points on 50-percent shooting to go with his six rebounds. While the Poets ran out of gas down the stretch, they have shown over their recent four-game stretch an ability to hang with, and put themselves in a position to beat any SCIAC team on any given day. Wednesday's game was no exception.

Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets will look to improve their conference standing when they travel to California Lutheran University on Saturday, Jan. 29 for a 2 p.m. game.

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