WHITTIER, Calif. (Jan. 21, 2023)- Whittier returned home to take on the La Verne Leopards. The Poets were looking to capture their first SCIAC victory of the year, and after a dominant battle beat La Verne 92-75. 

The Poets began the game with a ton of energy and wanted to get out to the early lead. Bryant Howing put the team on his back during the first 5 minutes of the game and scored 9 of the Poets first 11 points. Whittier would continue to put the pressure on the Leopards on both the offensive and defensive end, as they were able to get out to a strong 31-12 lead halfway through the first. The Poets were passing the ball very well and putting up open shots that found the bottom of the net often. As the buzzer sounded to end the first half the Poets had a 57-29 point lead over La Verne. 

As previously mentioned the Poets were getting open shots and draining them, as they would shoot 55% from the field, 50% from behind the arc, and 77% from the free throw line. Whittier was led by star senior Bryant Howing, who filled up the stat sheet in the first half, with 20 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. The team also got a great spark off the bench from Jude Agbasi and Kunal Bagga, as the pair combined for 25 first half points. 

The Poets had just played their best half of the season, but were not satisfied with that; they wanted to continue to keep their foot on the gas to secure their first conference victory. Whittier came out and proved that they were not going away, as the team established a 30 point lead quickly. The Leopards were not going to just roll over and give up though. Halfway through the second half La Verne had cut the Poet's lead to 19. The next 5 minutes of the game belonged to La Verne;  they went on one final run to only be trailing by 10 with about 4 minutes left. Whittier could taste the victory though, and finished out the game strong to a 92-75 victory. 

The Poets played their best all-around basketball tonight on both ends of the court. There were a lot of standout performances during this strong victory. Howing finished with 29 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Blake Lander had an incredible game scoring 23 points, pulling down 12 rebounds, and grabbing a steal; all while he also shot a perfect 10/10 from the field. Agbasi, off the bench, scored 22 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. For the game the Poets shot 52% and 48% from behind  the 3-point line. One of the biggest advantages in tonight's game for the Poets was their ability to grab rebounds. Whittier was able to out rebound La Verne 47-27. 

After the game, freshman Blake Lander said this about the team's first victory, "From the jump, we got off to a great start. We played our game and got into our flow to allow us open shots. Everyone on this team contributed to this victory one way or another. We have worked hard all year and never gave up in a game, so now we just have to keep the momentum going and turn this season around with a win streak."

The Poets will begin the second cycle of SCIAC play against the Occidental Tigers on Wednesday the 25th. This game will take place at home, with the tip coming at 7:00. Make sure to come out and support your men, as they look to take the energy from this big victory into the next game. 

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

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