CLAREMONT, CA. (Jan. 16, 2024)- The men traveled to Claremont to take on the Stags in a SCIAC conference match-up Monday night. After a close first half, the Poets were not able to keep the game within reach during the second and eventually would lose this one by a final score of 107-75. 

Starting off, the Whittier men came out hot and all their shots were falling. The team was moving the ball well around the court and playing strong on both ends. As the ball continued to move there were a lot of Poets who were able to get on the board early in this match. About halfway through the first, Whittier held a 30-27 point lead over CMS. The last 10 minutes of the half displayed a flurry of baskets from both teams, but CMS got hot during this stretch and at halftime the Stags had a 52-47 lead over the Poets. 

As the second half began, CMS came out with a different energy. The Stags were looking to run away with this lead and started to extend their lead quickly. Halfway through this second, CMS had taken their 5 point lead and extended it to 20. The Stags never looked back from there and would run away with the victory over the Poets. 

This game was a tale of 2 halves for Whittier. In the first, all their shots were falling as they shot 56% from both the field and from behind the arc; however, in the second the men went cold and shot only 25%. A bright spot in this game was the Poets were able to take care of the ball and only turned it over a total of 6 times. Aamari Smith (Decatur, GA, San Bernardino Valley) was great once again for Whittier in this game, scoring a team high 21 points. Whittier will look to get back on track Wednesday night as they play host to Cal Lutheran University. This game will be played at Whittier College tipping off at 7:00.