LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Despite trailing by as many as 14 with only eight to play, men's hoops battled, behind a 28-point performance from Nicky Clotfelter, but ultimately fell 84-79 in the SCIAC opener.
 
Looking to pick up a win in the first conference matchup of the season, the Tigers faced a Whittier team they beat twice in the 2023-24 season. After taking a 9-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game, it turned into a defensive stalemate, with both squads struggling to convert.
 
The Poets broke through at the end of the half with a 9-0 run in the final three minutes. Aamari Smith knocked down a three and a layup to push the Whittier halftime lead to five. Smith picked up where he left off in the second, scoring 24 points in the frame, finishing the night with 37.
 
In the second half, behind Smith's performance, the Poets took the game's first double digit lead. Clotfelter and the Tigers scratched and clawed their way back into the game with 17 offensive boards. Alex McCleery Brown created many second-chance opportunities down the stretch to cut the deficit to three.
 
After a Clotfelter jumper reaching the 78-75 mark, and a Tiger time out, the Poets hit a dagger three on the offensive end, and the six-point margin proved insurmountable for the Tigers.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 
Eight of McCleery Brown's 10 rebounds were on the offensive glass, while the guard came up one point shy of a double-double.
 
Clotfelter's 28 was a season high. The junior has scored 24 or more points in the last three contests.
 
Nasir Luna provided a spark on offense. The first year tallied a career-high 22 and marked the first 20-point game of his career.
 
The Tigers out rebounded the Poets 53-36 but turned the ball over seven more times.
 
Oxy shot under 40% from the field for the first time this season.
 
UP NEXT
 
After a nine-day break, the Tigers return to Rush to take on Cal Miramar for the second time this season.