WHITTIER, Calif. (Dec. 6, 2025) – Taking on the reigning back-to-back SCIAC Tournament champions, the Whittier College men's basketball team went punch-for-punch with undefeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before ultimately falling 70–59 on Saturday afternoon at Dave Jacobs Court. The Stags entered the day at 8–0 and receiving votes in the latest D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll, and Whittier kept the game within single digits for nearly the entire afternoon.

Jonathan Duley (Rocklin, Calif. / Del Oro / Cuyamaca College) continued his elite scoring stretch, finishing with 22 points for his third 20-point performance in the first six games of the season. Brandon Andrews (Houston, Texas / Clear Brook / Palomar College) added 14 points off the bench on efficient shooting, and Tochi Onyeador (Amuri, Nigeria / MEC / Los Medanos College) provided strong interior play with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Sean Cervantes (Hacienda Heights, Calif. / La Mirada) chipped in nine points and four assists while directing the offense under pressure from one of the conference's best defensive units.

Whittier fought to stay within striking distance throughout, answering multiple CMS runs and never allowing the Stags to pull away by more than 11. The Poets knocked down eight threes and held CMS without a single made triple on the day.

Only five Poets scored in the contest, but Whittier's defensive effort and toughness kept the matchup competitive from start to finish against one of the region's premier programs.

Head Coach Mark Jensen and the Poets move to 4–2 overall and 1–1 in SCIAC play. Whittier returns to Dave Jacobs Court on Saturday, December 14 at 1 p.m. to host UC Santa Cruz.

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