Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2022) – Senior Nick Colosi (La Mirada, Calif. / La Mirada) of the Whittier College men's basketball team led the Poets on the road with a solid offensive outing that helped keep his team alive late against California Lutheran University on Saturday afternoon.

Colosi, who came one rebound away from achieving a double-double, fronted the Poets' offense with 19 points on 50-percent shooting. The senior led the visiting team in scoring while committing just one turnover, though the game's physical nature would go on to have an impact on Colosi and his teammates. Classmate Ahmad Young (Sunnyvale, Calif. / De Anza College) likewise had one of his most measured performances of the season, scoring 13 points while likewise turning the ball over just once. The increased offensive opportunities thanks to a lack of turnovers early enabled the Poetes to go on a 13-3 run late in the first half that helped cut the Kingsmen's lead to just two points at halftime, and the Poets did well to compete with the home team throughout the majority of the remaining period as well. However, the fouls began to take a toll Whittier late in the game, with its two top scorers fouling out before the end of regulation while the Kingsmen used superior numbers to wear out a Poets squad that performed reasonably well for most of the game.

Freshman forward Brent Smith (Atlanta, Ga. / Archer) made a significant defensive contribution off the bench with three blocked shots in just 14 minutes of action. Colosi and junior forward Jordan Kanoe (San Antonio, Texas / Santa Monica College) combined for the Poets' other three blocks, giving the visitors some extra defensive juice against a team that committed just six turnovers for the game. Whittier also flashed at the free throw line, converting on 18-of-20 free throw attempts. Saturday marked the fourth time in the last five games the Poets have had at least 20 attempts from the charity stripe, and their 77.8 collective free throw percentage for the season leads the conference.

Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets will look to achieve their third SCIAC win of the season when they host the University of Redlands on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.

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