WHITTIER, Calif. (Dec. 19,2022)- Crown College of Minnesota visited Whittier in a non-conference battle Monday night, with the Polars taking down the Poets, 74-67. 

Starting the game, Whittier came out firing, converting on two quick threes less than 90 seconds in. Soon though the scoring was halted for both teams, as there was great defense being played. Halfway through the first, the score was 17-15 Polars. As the time continued to tick down in the first half, Crown claimed a small advantage, leading 37-31 at the half.

At the half, the Poets' leading scorer was Blake Lander with nine points.

The buzzerssounded to begin the second half and Crown quickly extended its lead with two threes. Cameron Stiepock inched the Poets closer with an excellent four-point play, followed by another three. Then for the next six minutes, Whittier held the Polars scoreless, while the Poets went on a run. With 10 minutes left in the game, Crown's lead was down to one, 51-50. Both teams continued to drain buckets for the remainder of the game, but the Polars were able to secure the victory, 74-67. 

Four different Poets scored in double digits in tonight's match. They were led by freshman Blake Lander, who had a dominant game. He finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, both career highs. Kevin Dobson sparkled off the bench pouring in 11 points and contributing a career-high seven assists with just one turnover. Ethan Battistini and Kunal Bagga were the other two Poets to record double-digit point totals. 

The Poets will enjoy a small break in their action to celebrate the holidays before returning December 28. In the neutral site game hosted by Cal Lutheran, Whittier will face Luther College of Iowa at 6 p.m.

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

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