WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Following the same storyline for a second straight night, the Whitman College men's basketball team used a late-game surge to upend the University of the Fraser Valley 62-58 in a Friday exhibition battle in Abbotsford, B.C.

Down by one with 10 minutes left, Whitman scored the next 10 points to vault into 58-49 lead with little more than three minutes remaining.

After senior guard Brandon Shaw sank two free throws with 30 seconds left, giving the Missionaries a 60-53 cushion, UVF made it close in the final seconds.

Brandon Shaw

Joel Friesen's jumper with 24 seconds on the clock, followed by a James York 3-pointer with two ticks remaining, sliced Whitman's lead to 60-58.

Freshman guard Josh Duckworth, fouled immediately on the inbounds pass, made two free throws with no time remaining to complete the scoring.

"We beat a very fresh and determined FVU team tonight," Whitman coach Eric Bridgeland said. "It's a significant accomplishment to face this type of guard-savvy team in our fourth game in five days and get the W."

Whitman outrebounded UFV 45-38, outscored the Cascades by 18 points at the free throw line, and made 14 steals while forcing 19 turnovers.

"Our legs were obviously gone," Bridgeland said. "Our guys focused on getting shots in the paint to put pressure on the defense. Our 32 free throw attempts and plus-11 rebounding advantage in the second half gave us a chance to win."

Shaw and Duckworth scored 14 points apiece and combined for eight rebounds and five steals. Junior forward David Michaels had another solid game with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals.

Junior forward Drew Raher snared a team-high eight rebounds to go with six points. As part of its group effort on the backboards, Whitman also got six rebounds apiece from senior forward D.J. Wright and junior wing Ignas Pavilonis, along with five more from another junior wing, Peter Clark.

Friesen, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, led UFV with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jasper Moedt, a 6-foot-7 junior post, added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Drew Raher

The Cascades, after jumping to an early 10-2 lead in game's first three minutes, led for much of the first half. Duckworth's layup and free throw gave Whitman its first lead at 30-29 with 1:10 left, but Friesen nailed a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining to make it 32-30 at the break.

UFV stretched its lead back to seven points early in the second half before Whitman pulled even at 42-42 on two Raher free throws. Six lead changes followed over the next 2:25.

With the Cascade ahead 49-48, the Missionaries hit the offensive glass to trigger its 10-0 scoring run.

Wright and Michaels grabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds, setting the stage for a 3-point strike from sophomore guard Jordan Dickson with 9:21 left in the game (Dickson also hit a key 3-pointer 24 hours earlier in Whitman's late rush past the University of British Columbia). 

Jumpers by Shaw, Duckworth and Michaels extended the Missionary lead to 57-49.

Michaels added a free throw before UFV broke its seven-minute dry spell with Moedt's basket at the 3:08 mark. The Cascades missed seven shots and committed four turnovers during that span.

"The FVU event and coaching staff, specifically coach Barnaby Craddock, treated us like gold throughout the planning of this trip all the way up to our game with them," Bridgeland said.

Now 4-0 on its week-long tour of British Columbia, Whitman goes for the sweep when it plays a final game Saturday night against Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu