"It was very apparent that we have six seniors and 10 returning players tonight," Whitman coach Skip Molitor said. "We didn't panic when trailing and were very methodical in our comeback."
Sparked by sophomore Greg Ricker's 13 second-half points, the Missionaries took only their second lead of the game at 63-60 on a Ricker long ball and held on with a Casey Nelson free-throw. Ricker knocked down 11 of Whitman's final 17 points and finished with five rebounds and four assists. Nelson hit seven of nine shots on the night for 16 points, and grabbed five boards. The Missionaries' only other scorer in double figures was Jake Pounds, who came off the bench for 11 points. Sophomore Erik Kofler also came off the bench and finished with a team high seven rebounds.
John Olinger hit nine of his 14 shots, including six of 10 from long range, for a game-high 24 points. Olinger was hot early, scoring 21 points in the first half. David Force also finished in double digits, hitting all four of his free throws and finishing with 14 points. Ryan Ralfs led the Bearcats rebounding, grabbing nine boards to go along with nine points.
The Bearcats jumped on top first in the game, taking advantage of early Whitman turnovers to take a 22-9 lead with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half. Trailing 27-14, Whitman ran off seven straight points that were capped by a Nelson jumper at 5:58. The Missionaries would get no closer in the half, and went into the break trailing 36-29. Whitman opened up the second period by scoring eight of the first 12 points, but remained behind until 7:08 remained. Ricker knocked down a jumper to tie the score, but Willamette responded with a long range shot for a three-point lead. The teams were again tied at 63-63 with just six seconds remaining. Ricker tipped a ball that was headed out of bounds to Nelson, who was fouled as he tried to lay it in. Nelson knocked down his first from the line and the Bearcats were unable to get a shot off as time ran out.
"This was a great way to start league play," Molitor said. "Greg Ricker made a great play at the end to get Casey Nelson that shot, and Casey made a clutch free-throw."
The Missionaries will continue their conference schedule on Monday as they host Lewis & Clark College at Sherwood Center.
Willamette vs Whitman 01/11/04 8:00pm at Walla Walla, Wash. (Sherwood Center) At Walla Walla, Wash. (Sherwood Center) WHITMAN 64, WILLAMETTE 63 WILLAMETTE (5-5, 0-1) Olinger, John 9-14 0-1 24; Force, David 4-11 4-4 14; Ralfs, Ryan 4-8 1-4 9; Garrelts, Brennan 4-11 1-2 9; Greeley, Henry 1-5 0-0 3; Erickson, Josh 1-1 0-0 2; Sandgathe, Miles 1-8 0-0 2; McDevitt, P.J. 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 24-63 6-11 63. WHITMAN (5-5, 1-0) Ricker, Greg 8-14 0-0 17; Nelson, Casey 7-9 2-4 16; Pounds, Jacob 4-7 1-2 11; Kofler, Erik 2-2 0-0 4; Dalvit, Kyle 2-6 0-0 4; Parker, Nick 2-4 0-0 4; Will, Cale 1-2 0-0 3; Caldwell, Greg 1-4 0-0 3; Peterson, Mike 0-1 2-2 2; Airy, Matt 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 27-53 5-8 64. Willamette.................... 36 27 - 63 Whitman....................... 29 35 - 64 3-point goals-Willamette 9-33 (Olinger, John 6-10; Force, David 2-5; Greeley, Henry 1-5; Sandgathe, Miles 0-5; McDevitt, P.J. 0-4; Garrelts, Brennan 0-4), Whitman 5-15 (Pounds, Jacob 2-4; Will, Cale 1-2; Ricker, Greg 1-2; Caldwell, Greg 1-2; Parker, Nick 0-1; Airy, Matt 0-4). Fouled out--Willamette-None, Whitman-None. Rebounds-Willamette 34 (Ralfs, Ryan 9), Whitman 35 (Kofler, Erik 7). Assists-Willamette 10 (Force, David 5), Whitman 13 (Ricker, Greg 4). Total fouls-Willamette 13, Whitman 13. A-123