WHITTIER, Calif. (Jan. 15, 2024) – Senior wing
Ignacio Bettinelli (Quilmes, Argentina / Ann Sobrato / West Valley Community College) of the Whittier College men's basketball team stepped up in a big way against a tough road foe in Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.
The senior dumped in 14 points, and perhaps most notably stood out as the visitors' top presence from the outside. He knocked down a trio of three-pointers and one-third of Whittier's team total for the night. This is even more notable considering the opponent -- the Sagehens are historically among the top perimeter-defending teams in the SCIAC over the last decade.
Bettinelli's presence on the outside paved the way for senior guard and Bevo Francis Award Top-100 Watchlist player
Aamari Smith (Decatur, Ga. / Roosevelt / San Bernardino Valley College) to shine in other areas besides pure scoring. While the senior did lead all Poets with 22 points against the stout Sagehens defense, he also had six rebounds and four assists while adding nine more converted free throws on the heels of his 17-for-17 night against the University of La Verne.
The Sagehens represented arguably Whittier's toughest SCIAC test of the season to date, and the Poets gave a good account of themselves overall. They went into the break trailing the home team by just two points and closed the first half on an 8-0 run with five fastbreak points.
Other Whittier contributors included senior guard
Roy Kalu (Lynn, Mass. / Pioneer Charter School of Science / Roxbury Community College), who came off the bench to score 13 points, and junior guard
Chine Nwanevu (Eastvale, Calif. / Norco / San Bernardino Valley College), who came one rebound shy of a double-double.
Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets will next head to the University of Redlands on Saturday Jan. 18 for a 4 p.m. game.
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