THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (Dec. 29, 2022)- The Poets were able to get back in the win column when they took on Concordia Chicago in a neutral site game. They took down the Cougars by a score of 87-83.

As the game began, Bryant Howing was feeling his shot early. He was able to knock down his first 3 shots, all three pointers, and scored the Poets first 9 points. Jude Agbasi and Blake Lander also got in on the action early with their scoring. Halfway through the first the Poets had a 24-21 point lead and these three players had scored all the points for Whittier. The rest of the period was a back and forth between both teams and as the buzzer sounded the Poets had a small 47-44 lead. 

Howing and Lander both had great halves for Whittier as they were able to combine for a combined 29 points. 

When the second half started, the Poets continued to shoot the ball effectively. However, the Cougars were continuing to make their shots as well and 10 minutes into the second the score was tied. The teams continued to thrive from the field and many of the shots that they put up would find the bottom of the net. Howing also continued his dominance scoring an additional 11 points. The veteran Bryant also got a ton of assistance from freshman Bryant Handley, who also contributed 11 points. The Poets would eventually take the victory, 87-83, after a hard fought battle. 

Whittier field goal percentage on the night was a great 49%, while also knocking down 46% of their threes. Overall, the men had a lot of solid performances tonight. Howing scored 26 with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Blake Lander scored 22, as Agbasi contributed 11. Handley also had a great game as he walked away with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assist, and 2 steals. 

The Poets will play their final game of the 2022 calendar year, this Saturday the 31st at 4:00 PM. They were also making a return to conference play. They will look to take the momentum of the win into this next game as they will battle the Chapman Panthers at home.  

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

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