PASADENA, Calif. (Jan. 13, 2023) – A short-handed Whittier College men's basketball team came up huge at Caltech, with junior Aamari Smith (Decatur, Ga. / San Bernardino Valley) and others paving the way for a decisive – and historic – 81-69 victory in Pasadena on Saturday afternoon.
The first 20 minutes saw the Poets deliver as efficient of a defensive performance as a team can possibly have. They held the Beavers to just 21 points on 25 percent shooting overall and just 13 percent shooting from deep. Behind Smith's efficiency on the fast break, the Poets had no problem leaving the Beavers in the dust early with the junior accounting for 19 of 37 first-half points. He shot 8-for-10 from the field during this stretch for 19 points, meaning he nearly outscore the entire Caltech side himself over the game's first 20.
Overall, the Poets played fast and loose, and had as much fun on the court as they had all season. Given the Purple & Gold's propensity to go fast and attempts to thrive in chaos, the team still managed to turn in as disciplined of an offensive performance as they ever have. Whittier committed just four turnovers in the win, which is the lowest turnover number in program history for NCAA games and the fewest committed in a game since the 2009-10 season when then-head coach and current Athletic Director Rock Carter '89 led the Poets at Occidental College. Meanwhile, the team's scoring efficiency translated to the second half where they were able to maintain a shooting percentage of over 50 percent.
The Poets would, however, have to contend with a hungry Caltech team in the second half looking to trim their lead. Ultimately, the Smith-led Poets did enough on both ends of the floor to maintain their lead without getting into too much trouble, thanks in large part to junior forward Tanner Thompson's (Seattle, Wash. / North Creek) contributions in the paint. Thompson drew the start for the Poets and responded with 11 points and 11 rebounds in a high-energy showing that inspired the players around him. The double-double is the first of his career, and he reached the milestone in the game's waning seconds when Smith, who came up one point shy of 30, found him in the paint for the easy two.
Whittier's passing proved to be another story of the game, as the Purple & Gold's 22 team assists represent a single-game season high. Seniors Kevin Dobson (Corona, Calif. / San Diego Christian College) and Nick Manor-Hall (Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills) saw the floor as well as anybody in the conference on the day, with both players earning six assists. Ironically, the Poets also saw a season-low day at the free throw line in that they attempted just 11 free throws. The Poets have typically weaponized the charity stripe to either pull out close wins or compete with tough programs, but largely succeeded without it on Saturday, shooting a collective 8-for-11 from the foul line. Saturday's win marks the second time in the last three games the Poets have scored 80 points or more, and are 3-1 on the year in games where they cross the 80-point threshold. Meanwhile, Whittier is shooting a collective 52 percent over its last three games, so it's possible the team has turned over a new leaf as the SCIAC schedule begins to heat up.
Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets will begin a busy week of conference play on Monday, Jan. 15 when they travel to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges for a 7 p.m. game.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!
