LA VERNE, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2008) – In
his final regular season Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference game Connor Whitman played all
40 minutes using a 27-point performance to lead the Tigers to a
67-57 victory over the University of La Verne, clinching their
second consecutive SCIAC Championship.
Occidental took a 5-2 lead on Whitman's
first three-pointer of the night and never trailed in the final
regular season game of 2008. The Tigers opened with a 10-2 run and
held a 14-point lead twice in the first frame.
Whitman, a senior guard, led the pack to a
36-26 advantage at the break as he was 4-for-5 from the field,
hitting all four shots he took from beyond the arc, while adding
three additional assists.
The Leopards battled back in the second half,
using a three-pointer from Drew Terry to pull the game to 44-43
with 12:51 to play in regulation. A minute and a half later the
teams were again separated by just one point.
ULV again pulled the game within one at 46-45
with 10:08 to play before the Tigers went on a 12-2 run pushing the
total to 58-47. Sophomore transfer Sean Anderson
grabbed an offensive board and promptly put it through the net to
give Oxy an 11-point advantage. Chris Pitcher
scored back-to-back buckets, opening the largest gap of the half at
62-50.
Occidental was 5-for-6 from the line in the
last 50 seconds of the game, and the free-throw that was missed,
turned into an offensive rebound for Pitcher. Whitman scored the
final four points to solidify the victory for Oxy.
Occidental used a surge in the second half to
out-rebound La Verne by a 38-36 margin after the Leos held the lead
at the half (18-14). The Leopards finished with 13 offensive
boards, three more than Oxy. Huston Conti and
Pitcher each finished with seven boards behind Anderson who led all
players with 11. Conti also stole the ball three times.
Anderson also scored 13 points to complete his
sixth double-double of the season.
Whitman's 27 points was a game high,
while Terry was the leading ULV scorer with 20. Pitcher led all
players with four assists while Gemayal McBride
and Whitman each accounted for three.
In the opening stanza Oxy shot 54.2 percent
from the field, hitting 6-for-7 from behind the arc. The Tigers
shot 46.2 percent from the field overall, finishing with an
outstanding 69.2 three-point field goal percentage on the night.
The defense held the Leopards to a 31.0 field
goal percentage in the opening period and limited ULV to 9-for-29
shooting. In the second half the Leos were 5-for-16 from
three-point range after making just 2-for-7 in the opening period.
Occidental improves to 21-4 overall with an
11-3 SCIAC mark, tying them with Cal Lutheran University atop the
SCIAC as Co-Champions.
The latest D3Hoops.com poll ranked the Tigers
#24 in the nation.
Oxy is one of four teams advancing to the
first ever SCIAC Post-Season Tournament. Because the Tigers
defeated the Kingsmen in both meetings during the 2008 season,
Occidental will be seeded # 1. As the first seeded team the Tigers
will host #4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (14-11, 8-6) on Friday night at
7:30 p.m. in Rush Gymnasium. California Lutheran University, the
second seeded team, will host #3 Pomona-Pitzer (13-12, 8-6) in the
other semi-final game.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated the University
of Redlands 63-58 tonight. In the season opener CMS handed Oxy
their first loss to a Division III school during the 2007-08
season. Occidental bounced back to defeat CMS 59-41 at Rush
Gymnasium during their second meeting.
Tonight the Sagehens and Kingsmen met in
Thousand Oaks, Calif. where CLU was victorious 70-51. Earlier this
season CLU beat PP on the road by a 67-50 margin. The re-match on
Friday will also tip-off at 7:30.
The two winners will meet on Saturday night at
7:30 p.m. to determine the Tournament Champion. The game will be
played at the highest seeded team's school.
