WHITTIER, Calif. (Nov. 26, 2024) – Senior guard
Roy Kalu (Lynn, Mass. / Pioneer Charter School of Science / Roxbury Community College) of the Whittier College men's basketball team made significant contributions both with and without the ball that lent to a 25-point win over Southern California Leadership University on Tuesday afternoon. The Poets bested the Rhinos, 87-62.
All 14 of the healthy Whittier players saw action against SCLU, and no player needed to exceed 30 minutes. That didn't stop senior guard
Aamari Smith (Decatur, Ga. / Roosevelt / San Bernardino Valley College), Division III's second-leading scorer, who had 27 points in 27 minutes. It didn't stop Kalu either, who had 13 points to go with a team-high five assists and three four steals. Kalu's high motor gave the Rhinos guards problems all night, and while he accounted for a third of Whittier's total steals for the game, he also helped the Purple & Gold win the turnover battle and force SCLU into 24 team turnovers that fully did them in. Also of significance, Kalu got to the free throw line a whopping 14 times, and made it count with 11 of his 13 points coming at the foul line.
If there were a third star for Whittier, it would be senior guard
Chine Nwanevu (Eastvale, Calif. / Norco / San Bernardino Valley College), who double-doubled for the third time in five games with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Notably half of Nwanevu's rebounds came on the offensive glass, a huge area of need for the Poets coming into the season. Thus far, 18 of Nwanevu's 41 total rebounds have come off his own team's shots. He also made a significant defensive contribution with three steals. Tuesday also served as an avenue for freshman guard
Jaedon Hose-Shea (Costa Mesa, Calif. / Estancia) to accrue some significant minutes. Hose-Shea got the start at point guard in the absence of senior
Andrew Milot (Murrieta, Calif. / Balboa / Knox College), and he responded with five assists, three of which resulted in Whittier three-pointers.
The Poets took a 42-26 lead into halftime against the Rhinos, and from the onset appeared to have their opponents covered on depth, scoring talent and explosivity. Whittier ultimately pulled away in a second half in which they outscored SCLU 45-36.
Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets won't be back at home for three weeks. In the meantime, they will kick off the SCIAC schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 4 when they travel to Occidental College for a 7 p.m. tilt.
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