WHITTIER, Calif. (Nov. 9, 2024) – The Whittier College men's basketball team, led by a sterling performance from senior guard
Aamari Smith (Decatur, Ga. / Roosevelt / San Bernardino Valley College | Cypress College), started the year strong with a 76-69 victory over Linfield University on Saturday evening.
The Wildcats have perenially been a tough puzzle to solve in the Northwest Conference, but the Poets utilized a combination of their deep bench and a reliance on last year's SCIAC leading scorer to not only show they could handle the Wildcats throughout the game, but finish with a win. Smith scored 30 points and finished with a game-high seven rebounds. He also seemingly benefited from reuniting with
Chine Nwanevu (Eastvale, Calif. / Norco / San Bernardino Valley College), a former teammate of his at San Bernardino Valley College. Nwanevu filled a major defensive role on Saturday and himself finished with a double-double: 11 points and 10 rebounds in a sixth-man role.
The Poets led their opponents from up north, 40-32, at halftime, and were able to impose their will by using 11 different players. Eight different players scored, and while the Poets were effective from deep at different parts of Saturday's game, their efficiency in the paint and on the fast break proved to be the biggest difference maker. Whittier outscored Linfield 40-18 in the paint at a greater than 2:1 clip, and fastbreak points saw a 4:1 Whittier advantage (16-4).
Defensively, the Poets effectively used their depth down the stretch to wear on the Wildcats, but that didn't stop Linfield from gaining a five points lead with just over five minutes to go. From there, Whittier outscored Linfield 16-4, and managed to put the game out of sight over that stretch. Senior center
Tyler Watters (Aurora, Colo. / Grandview / West Valley Community College) stepped up with four points and five rebounds down the stretch, and senior
Andrew Milot (Murrieta, Calif. / Balboa / Knox College), a transfer from Knox College, handled some meaningful minutes at the point and brought balance to the Poets' lineup. In the end, Whittier had little trouble turning on the Jets, and Smith, in the game's waning seconds, finished with an emphatic dunk to put the exclamation point on an outstanding victory to kick off the 2024-25 season.
Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets will look to make it a 2-0 start to the season when they host West Coast Baptist University on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!
