The Missionaries were unable to stop Lewis & Clark's Ryan Wells, who made 12 three-point shots on the evening and finished with a game-high 36 points. 46 of the Pioneers' 59 attempts from the floor were from beyond the arc, and they knocked down 18. Whitman hit 11 of 32 from long range.
Casey Nelson led the Missionaries offensively, hitting eight of nine from the floor for 20 points. Nelson also grabbed six rebounds, three on each end of the floor. Greg Caldwell had 14 points, Greg Ricker 11, and Kyle Dalvit 10. Ricker led the team in assists with seven, while Dalvit grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
John Mietus and Danny Winchester, who combined for 59 points last night at Whitworth, finished the night with 17 and 10 points, respectively. Mietus had a double-double, grabbing 13 rebounds to complement his points.
The Pioneers grabbed the largest lead of the first half with 2:26 to play, at 40-31. Whitman knocked down eight of the final 12 points, though, and went into the break down by five. A Nelson layup early in the second half made the score 46-44 in favor of the Pioneers. That was as close as Whitman would come, however, as Lewis & Clark scored six straight and outgunned Whitman down the stretch for a nine-point win.
"We competed well tonight," Molitor noted. "We had good play at the post and point positions, but we've got to be at our best to beat a team of this caliber."
The Missionaries take to the road next weekend as they play conference games against Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran.
Lewis & Clark vs Whitman 01/12/04 8:00pm at Walla Walla, Wash. (Sherwood Center) At Walla Walla, Wash. (Sherwood Center) LEWIS & CLARK 85, WHITMAN 76 LEWIS & CLARK (8-3, 1-1) Wells, Ryan 12-24 0-0 36; Mietus, John 5-8 5-5 17; Magnuson, Tommy 5-7 0-0 11; Winchester, Danny 3-11 2-2 10; Kirkham, Mike 2-6 2-2 6; Winnie, Trevor 2-2 0-0 5; Kopp, Joe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-59 9-9 85. WHITMAN (5-6, 1-1) Nelson, Casey 8-9 3-4 20; Caldwell, Greg 5-12 0-0 14; Ricker, Greg 5-7 0-0 11; Dalvit, Kyle 5-9 0-0 10; Kofler, Erik 2-4 2-2 7; Will, Cale 2-4 0-0 6; Pounds, Jacob 2-10 0-0 6; Parker, Nick 1-2 0-0 2; Airy, Matt 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 30-61 5-6 76. Lewis & Clark................. 44 41 - 85 Whitman....................... 39 37 - 76 3-point goals-Lewis & Clark 18-46 (Wells, Ryan 12-24; Winchester, Danny 2-9; Mietus, John 2-4; Winnie, Trevor 1-1; Magnuson, Tommy 1-3; Kirkham, Mike 0-4; Kopp, Joe 0-1), Whitman 11-32 (Caldwell, Greg 4-11; Will, Cale 2-4; Pounds, Jacob 2-7; Ricker, Greg 1-3; Nelson, Casey 1-2; Kofler, Erik 1-1; Airy, Matt 0-4). Fouled out--Lewis & Clark-None, Whitman-None. Rebounds-Lewis & Clark 30 (Mietus, John 13), Whitman 31 (Dalvit, Kyle 7). Assists-Lewis & Clark 17 (Kirkham, Mike 5), Whitman 16 (Ricker, Greg 7). Total fouls-Lewis & Clark 10, Whitman 12. A-68