Shooting 59 percent from the floor for the game, the Mountaineers overcame a five-point halftime deficit and pulled away late in the second half for a 97-84 victory. Eastern Oregon is now 5-2 on the season, while Whitman is 2-1.
Earlier in the evening in College Place, Concordia edged Walla Walla College 83-79 in the Wildhorse consolation game.
With Whitman and Eastern Oregon tied at 70 midway through the second half of Sunday’s championship game, the Mountaineers took charge with a 10-2 run. Sophomore Garth Brandal’s three-pointer with 3:41 remaining pulled the Missionaries to within five points at 82-77, but Eastern Oregon answered with the next six points to put the game out of reach.
“It was a hard fought game,” said Whitman basketball coach Skip Molitor. “We just couldn’t get enough stops on defense to pull this one out. You have to credit Eastern Oregon, though, as they slowed the pace down and beat us at its game, half-court sets.”
Whitman led throughout the first half of the contest and by as many as eight points on two occasions. Junior captain Ian Warner nailed four of his five three-point attempts in the first stanza, scoring 14 of his team-high 17 points before the break.
“It was great to see Ian come up big for us early,” said Whitman coach Skip Molitor. “He’s tough to handle when he gets hot.”
The story of the game, however, was the sizzling shooting of the Mountaineers. After making 52 percent of their shots in the first half, they upped the ante with 68 percent marksmanship over the final 20 minutes. Whitman shot a very respectable 53 percent for the game, but the Missionaries turned the ball over 15 times compared to Eastern Oregon’s nine.
Chad Fairbanks, one of six Mountaineers scoring in double figures, led the way with 22 points and six rebounds.
Whitman’s seniors followed big games Friday with more nice numbers against Eastern Oregon. Center Erik Kofler finished with 15 points, while guards Matt Kelly and Greg Ricker chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively. Kelly added six rebounds and four assists, and Ricker had four rebounds and four assists.
Both Ricker and Kelly were named to the all-tournament team. In his two games, Kelly scored 37 points, making 14 of 27 shots from the floor, and collected 13 rebounds and six assists. Ricker totaled 35 points, making 13 of 19 shots from the field, to go with 12 assists, nine rebounds and five steals.
Eastern Oregon’s Mark Corollo took home the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award. Corollo made seven of nine three-point shots and finished with 39 points and nine rebounds. Fairbanks, who combined 36 points and 13 boards, also was named to all-tournament team, as were Walla Walla College’s Jeremy Claridge (37 points, eight rebounds) and Concordia’s Michael Lay (37 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds).
“Overall I was happy with the way we played in this tournament,” Molitor said. “It was a tough field, and although it didn’t end quite the way we wanted, I think we are well prepared for Northwest Conference play.”