Game 25 - February 23, 2006

Whittier College vs. La Verne

Season Record 11-13

SCIAC Record 4-9

After thanking the seven Poet seniors and recognizing the Leopard class of 2006, the men took the court. La Verne won the tip-off and scored first. Already down by 4, Mike Sabet, in his first start of the season, sank a jumper to put the Poets on the board. Matt Mesaros was called for a foul and the Leopards mad a free throw, but Mesaros quickly made up for it, hitting a three, to tie the game at 5. Whittier went on a 10-3 run, topped off by a Chris Dalley 3-pointer. La Verne battled back and got within 4 with 3:49 remaining, but the Poets took a 41-29 lead into the locker room.

La Verne came back ready to play and quickly made it a ball game. A 13 point lead was narrowed to 2 in two minutes time. At 12:11 a Marcus Gibson jumper put the Poets up 62-51, but again the Leopards clawed their way back within 2 with 9:14 remaining. At 4:51 the Leopards took their first lead since the 17th minute of the first half. With a tied score at 3:51, Anthony Taylor was fouled and went to the line for two. After making one, the Poets were up 74-73. The ball game remained scoreless for the next minute and a half until La Verne took a one point lead, which grew to two, then three and four points, with 1:24 left. Taylor got a rebound on a missed free throw and Whittier called a time out. Immediately after the TO, Mesaros hit a three, on a pass from Gibson, to bring the game within 1 and WC called another time out. With the clock reading :24, Gibson rebounded a missed three point attempt and Whittier used its final time out with :18 remaining. The Poet strategy worked as Gibson quickly got the ball to Raphael Farlough, who hit a critical jumper to give the Poets a 79-78 lead. With two timeouts remaining, the Leopards used both, but their plan was not executed, as the final possession was a missed jumper, giving the Poets an exhilarating home victory in the last career game of seven senior Poets with a crowd of 550 in attendance.

Whittier was led by Mesaros who recorded a double-double in his final collegiate basketball appearance as he scored 18 points and had 10 assists. Gibson led the Poet scoring with 21 points. Tim Fanning finished his career with a 9 point, 7 rebound, 6 assist performance. Dalley had three points, 5 boards and an assist. Sabet finished with 4 points, 3 assists and a rebound. Brandon Robinson finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Game 22 - February 15, 2006

Whittier College vs. Cal Lutheran

Season Record 9-13

SCIAC Record 3-8

The Poets and Kingsmen matched up for the second time this season tonight on Dave Jacobs court. With hopes of victory and a late season winning streak to finish off a tough season, the 3-7 Poets were unable to outscore the 4-6 Kingsmen as they fell by a score of 67-77. A Cal Lu jumper started off the scoring and Anthony Taylor (right) came back :09 later with a bucket of his own. Whittier and Cal Lu were tied at 11 with 15:00 to play when the Kingsmen went on a 14-5 run over the next 5 minutes. Whittier got within 5 points (27-22) at 8:06 on a Brandon Robinson jumper, but could get no closer to Cal Lu. Zach Miller put up 18 points and pulled down 5 boards for the Kingsmen in the first half. The scoreboard read Cal Lutheran 43, Whittier 34 as the teams went to the locker rooms.

Raphael Farlough (below left) scored 4 points in under a minute to start off the second half. Again the Poets trailed by only 5, but Cal Lu quickly went on a scoring streak and took a 51-40 lead on a Miller lay up. Cal Lu went on a 9-2 run before Matt Mesaros hit a three at the 10:40 mark. The Kingsmen went on another tear, posting 8 points to Whittier's 2 to make the Poet deficit 21 points. Tim Fanning hit one from outside the key and 20 seconds later Aaron Crowley layed one in but was called for a foul, sending Sergi Lepiashinski to the line for two. Two possessions later Crowley hit one from three point range and rebounded a missed Cal Lu shot. Andrew Gupilan made a three point shot on an assist from Taylor. Tim Fanning was called for a foul on Miller, sending him to the line to shoot two. Matt Baker (right) rebounded the second missed attempt and passed to Crowley (left) who scored to get the Poets back within 10 with 2:54 remaining. Five Whittier fouls and 3 Cal Lu fouls sent the Kingsmen to the line for 10 and the Poets to the line for 7 shots in the final minute and seven seconds. Cal Lu made 7 of 10 and Taylor, Fanning and Crowley combined to go 7-7. Crowley hit 3 for 3 bringing the score to 67-75 with :30 left. Two of the seven Cal Lu buckets came immediately following and gave them the final 10 point edge over the Poets.

Miller led all players with 21 points and 14 boards. Taylor was the Poets leading scorer with 15, had a team high 8 rebounds and had 2 blocks in the game. Crowley had 10 points and 4 rebounds in 10 minutes of play. Farlough finished with 13 points, Fanning with 10 and Mesaros pulled down 5 rebounds. Whittier shot 44.4% from the field (10-22 in the first half and 10-23 in the second) and 74.1% from the charity stripe. Cal Lutheran shot 46.4% from the field and 68% from the line. The Kingsmen outscored the Poets by 9 in the first half, but by only one in the second.

Whittier will travel to Redlands on Saturday for the next SCIAC match up.

Game 21 - February 11, 2006

Whittier College @ Occidental

Season Record 9-12

SCIAC Record 3-7

Whittier got an early lead on the 8-1 Occidental Tigers, but could not hold the lead to the end as they fell 61-65. An Anthony Taylor (left) jumper got the scoring started on the first possession of the game. Whittier surrendered the lead momentarily as a turnover led to an Ivan Kostic basket with 7:15 to play. He was fouled on the play sending him to the line for one, which he made. After a Matt Mesaros (left) three pointer, putting the Poets up 28-27, Kostic scored again. The Poets then went on an 11-4, giving Whittier a 39-33 advantage heading into the locker room.

In the second, half the Poets lead slowly diminished and the Tigers took over after scoring on another Whittier turnover, bringing the score to 43-42 with 14:30 remaining. The Kingsmen went on a 13-4 run over the next 6 minutes of play giving them a 56-46 advantage. Whittier got back within 3 with 2:13 to play, but 8 missed shots in 10 attempts sent the Poets home with a 61-65 loss.

Whittier shot 55.2% from the field in the first half and only 22.2% (39.3% overall) in the second while Occidental shot 40.4% overall. Occidental out rebounded Whittier 38-26. Raphael Farlough was the game leading scorer with 19 points. He also had 7 rebounds and an assist. Tim Fanning (left) was 6-13 from the field (3-6 from outside the key) and 1-1 from the line for 16 total points.  Fanning added 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

The Poets will host the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran on Wednesday night for a 7:30pm tip-off.

Game 20 - February 8, 2006

Whittier College vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

Season Record 9-11

SCIAC Record 3-6

At the Graham Athletics Center a crowd of about 350 gathered to watch the men's basketball team take on  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (tied for first in SCIAC). The teams were bound to match up well, as the first game of the season was taken into overtime. Although the game was just as close, no extra play was necessary tonight as the Stags walked away with a 43-40 victory over the Poets. The game was tied four times in the first half. In the final 5:12 of the half, the Stags outscored the Poets 10-2 sending them to the locker room leading 28-20. The Poets shot a mere 23.8% from the field, making just 5-21 shots and were 6-6 from the line. CMS shot 43.5% from the field and were 7-8 from the line.

Tim Fanning (above) started off the second half offense by scoring two three pointers and 2 free throws, which brought the score to 28-32 with 14:47 remaining. Anthony Taylor was fouled and went to the line for two. After making one, he brought the game within 3, but the Stags outscored the Poets 7-3 over the next six minutes, which gave them their largest margin in the game, 41-32. Brandon Robinson (right) helped the Poets battle back as he was fouled on a layup that was good, and went to the line for one. He followed up those three points with a good jumper at 3:30 and Matt Mesaros (left) sank a three pointer at 2:38 to put the game within 3 points. As chants of "Defense" and "Lets Go Poets" rang through the gym, a combination of good defense and poor shooting by both teams held the remainder of the game scoreless for a 43-40 final in favor of the Stags.

Both teams shot under 30% in the second half of the game and CMS out rebounded Whittier 34-21. Miles Taylor had a double-double for the Stags with 14 points and 11 boards. Fanning was Whittier's leading scorer with 13 points hitting 3 three's and going 4-4 from the foul line. Robinson had 7 rebounds in the game.

Whittier will be in action Saturday evening at Occidental for a 7:30 tip off against the 7-1 Tigers.

Game 19 - February 4, 2006

Whittier College vs. Pomona-Pitzer

Season Record 9-10

SCIAC Record 3-5

The men came to the Graham Athletics Center fired up to beat the Sagehens on their home court after falling 61-69 to them earlier in the season at Pomona-Pitzer. The game was very competitive from the get-go, with the scoreboard showing a tie 5 times in the first half. An Ed Wexler-Baron jumper gave the Sagehens a 26-21 lead with 5:21 remaining, but the Poets outscored Pomona-Pitzer 8-2 in the final 5 minutes of the half to head into halftime with a 29-27 edge.

When the teams returned from the locker room, there was much more of the same. Again the scoreboard showed a tied score 5 times, most importantly it was 66-66 as the buzzer signaled the end of regulation. Pomona-Pitzer took a 7 point lead, the largest margin in the game at the 3:27 mark. Over the remaining 3:27, the Poets outscored the Sagehens 12-5 including three pointers by Marcus Gibson (above), Tim Fanning (below) and Matt Mesaros. With :04 remaining and a 66-65 lead, P-P's Wexler-Baron fouled Raphael Farlough, sending him to the line for two. After missing the first one, Pomona-Pitzer took a time out. One more chance for the Poets to go into overtime, and it was on Farlough's shoulders. Under pressure he excelled and sank the shot, sending the game into a five minute overtime period.

Anthony Taylor won the tip-off and scored the first bucket in overtime. Two more ties would illuminate the scoreboard, but a Mesaros three pointer (2:31) followed by a Brandon Robinson (right) jumper (1:40) gave the Poets a 75-70 advantage. P-P took a timeout. After a Wexler-Baron basket, Taylor got called for a foul, sending Alexander Lloyd to the line for two; split by a Whittier timeout, he missed both, 75-72. Lloyd quickly fouled Farlough, sending him to the line for two; he made 1, 76-72. Robinson fouled Wexler-Baron, and he made both free throw shots, bringing the game within 2, 76-74. Another P-P timeout was called. Whittier had the ball and a Farlough pass to Gibson was right on target for a lay-up, 78-74. A Pomona-Pitzer turnover prompted Lloyd to foul Farlough, again sending him to the line for 2, he made one, 79-74. Gibson was fouled as he rebounded a missed three, and went to the free throw line for two shots; making both with :01 remaining the game was over, Poets win 81-74.

Whittier shot 50.9% (27-53) from the field, 48% from three point range (12-25) and 65.2% from the line (15-23) while Pomona-Pitzer shot 42.3% (30-71) from the field, 31.8% from three point range and 36.8% from the line. The Sagehens out-rebounded the Poets 41-35 and had twice as many offensive boards (16) as the Poets. Whittier's leading scorer was Mesaros (right) with 17 points (5-9 from three-point range). He also had 5 assists and a steal in the game. Gibson was next with 14 points (hitting 3 three's and shooting 3-4 from the line). Both Farlough and Fanning had 13 points. Fanning had 5 assists and 4 boards as well. Taylor had 10 rebounds and added 7 points and Robinson added 11 points and 7 rebounds in the game.

The men's basketball teams will be home next Wednesday at 7:30 to tip off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Game 18 - February 1, 2006

Whittier College @ La Verne

Season Record 8-10

SCIAC Record 2-5

The Whittier College Poets and La Verne Leopards both entered the game 2-4 in SCIAC play, but the Leopards walked away with a 101-76 victory. Tim Fanning (right) got the scoring started with a three pointer 1 minute into the game and scored 8 of the first 10 Poet points on the night. With 14:30 remaining a Brandon Robinson jumper put Whittier up 12-11, but that was the last time the Poets would have the lead in the game. Robinson hit another jumper with 6:25 remaining in the half to bring the Poets back within 5 (23-28). They went into the locker room down 42-34.

In the second half Matt Mesaros (left) hit a three with 13:35 left to make it 53-59 before the Leopards went on a 9-0 run, giving them a double digit lead that they would maintain for the remainder of the game. The final scoreboard read 101-76, Leopards.

Although the Poets had five double digit scorers, and were only out rebounded 34-32 by the Leopards, the teams 16 turnovers and 24 fouls hurt in the end. La Verne shot 80% from the line shooting 23-30. The leading two scorers in the game came from La Verne with Lanier Brown posting 32 (with 4 three's and 10-12 from the line) and Jason Greenlee putting up 24 (also with 4 three's and 8-9 from the line). Whittier's offense was led by Fanning, with a season best 19 points (5-7 in three point field goals and 2-2 from the foul line). Anthony Taylor (right) was perfect from the field (4-4) and from the line (2-2) and recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. He also had 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Mesaros had 12 points and 3 assists, Robinson finished with 15 points, 3 boards and a block and Raphael Farlough put up 10 points and 5 rebounds in the game.

The Poets will host Pomona-Pitzer at home on Dave Jacobs Court on Saturday evening following the women's game.

January 31, 2006

Congratulations to Marcus Gibson for being named the SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week for January 19-26!

Marcus Gibson was named SCIAC Athlete of the Week for his performance on the court. Gibson, a freshman from Villa Park, CA, scored 59 points over a two game span this week. In his first collegiate start he scored a game leading 36 points, had 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals in Whittier’s 137-125 victory over the University of Redlands. Gibson shot 12-18 in the game and was 9-12 from three point range and 3-3 from the line. In his second start of the week, he put up a team leading 23 points, as the Poets defeated the Beavers of Cal Tech 75-48. In this game he hit 6 more three’s and added another 3-3 performance from the free throw line, while adding 5 assists, a rebound and a steal. Overall Gibson shot 59.4% from the field (19-32), 65.2% (15-23) in three point attempts and 100% (6-6) from the line in Whittier’s two victories on the court this week. Congratulations Marcus!

Game 17 - January 28, 2006

Whittier College vs. Cal Tech

Season Record 8-9

SCIAC Record 2-4

The Poets defeated the Beavers of Cal Tech with a final of 75-48 tonight on Dave Jacobs Court. The scoring began with 4 three-pointers. Tim Fanning struck first for Whittier on an assist by Marcus Gibson and then Gibson hit one on an assist by Matt Mesaros, putting the Poets up 6-0 before Jordan Carlson put Cal Tech on the board. Gibson added another, on a Fanning assist, giving him 6 points with 18:23 to play. Gibson passed to Mesaros who hit a 3 at the 9:21 mark to push the Poets into a double digit scoring lead, where they would stay for the remainder of the game. In the last two minutes of the half Cal Tech fouled Whittier 4 times, sending three Poets to the line. Gibson was 2-2, Brett Stell (above) was 3-4 and Mesaros was 2-2, bringing the halftime score to 35-14.

Whittier came back and Gibson added 3 more three-point field goals to his total in the first 4 minutes of the second half. Brandon Robinson layed one in at 11:30 to give the Poets a 30 point advantage. After a Whittier foul and two free throws made by Matt Delatorre of CIT, Chris Dalley (left) sank a 3 to give the Poets a 59-28 lead with 9:37 to play. The Beavers outscored the Poets 9-5 in the final 9-5 3:43 of play, but Whittier walked away with the W. Andrew Gupilan hit two free throws with a minute and a half to play, giving the Poets their 74th and 75th points of the game.

Cal Tech's Jordan Carlson  was the game leading scorer with 27 total points. Gibson (right) led the way again for the Poets, posting 23 total points (7-14 from the field, 6-11 from three point range, and 3-3 from the line) while adding a game leading 5 assists and a steal. Fanning put up 10 points for the Poets and had a game leading 8 rebounds, also adding 4 assists and a steal in the game. Mesaros and Raphael Farlough had 9 points and 3 rebounds apiece, while Mesaros added 3 assists, a block and a steal, Farlough had an 3 steals, a block and an assist. Robinson had 8 points and 6 boards for the Poets. Whittier shot 46% from the field in the game and 79.2% and out rebounded the Beavers 42-29.

The next action for the Whittier men will be Wednesday when they tip-off against La Verne at 7:30. The game will be played at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Game 16 - January 25, 2006

Whittier College vs. University of Redlands

Season Record 7-9

SCIAC Record 1-4

January 25, 2006

The Poets got their first SCIAC win with an exciting 137-125 victory over Redlands at the Graham Athletics Center this evening. Whittier got off to a fast start after Anthony Taylor won the tip-off, and a Marcus Gibson (pictured on left) lay up opened the scoring. The Bulldogs tied it on the next possession before a Taylor lay-up and Matt Mesaros' first three of the night. Redlands pulled within 1 (9-8) at 18:12 and again with 13:13 left in the first half, but that was the closest they would get to the Poets in the game. Over the next 4 minutes of play Whittier outscored Redlands 20-6. During that time Gibson and Mesaros both sank two 3-pointers each and Taylor had 2 lay-ups. At the 7 minute mark the Bulldogs hit a 3 to bring the score to 44-35 in favor of the Poets, seconds before Mesaros hit another 3 to give the Poets back a double digit lead, which they would not relinquish until there were 7:15 remaining in regulation.

The Poets went to the locker room with a comfortable 70-50 lead thanks to 25 points (6-8 shooting 3's) and 7 assists from Mesaros, 17 points (5-8 shooting 3's) and 6 assists from Gibson, and 10 points and 5 rebounds from Taylor. A Matt Loretz foul with 8:29 to play sent Taylor to the line for two. He hit both shots helping the Poets reach and surpass the century mark. Over the next 4 minutes of play the Bulldogs staged a comeback hitting 7 3's 3 lay-ups and a free throw compared to Whittier's 17 points, 2 on a crowd pleasing dunk by senior Brandon Robinson (shown above), to pull the score to 118-114. The close game quickly diminished as Whittier went on another tear, making 4-4 field goal attempts and hitting 10-12 from the free throw line to take another demanding lead, which brought the final score to 137-125.

The Poets shot 68.1% from the field (47-69), 72.7% (16-22) from three point range, and 71.1% (27-38) from the line, while the Bulldogs shot 39.9% from the field. Whittier pulled down 60 rebounds to Redlands' 36. Gibson finished with a game leading 36 points (shooting 12-18; 9-12 from three point range and 3-3 from the line), 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. Mesaros (pictured on left) was close behind with the second most points in the game at 31 points (10-15; 6-9 from three point range and 5-5 from the line) and added 12 assists, giving him his first double-double of the season. Raphael Farlough also had a double-double in the game, with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Taylor's night capped off with 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Robinson finished with 15 points and 6 boards. Tim Fanning rounded out the double digit scoring with 11 (6-6 from the line) and added 5 assists and 2 steals.

Whittier will tip off again on Saturday at 7:30pm against Cal Tech, following a 5:00pm women's game against Cal Tech.

Game 15 - January 21, 2006

Whittier College @ Cal Lutheran University

Season Record 6-9

SCIAC Record 0-4

Cal Lutheran scored 20 uncontested points to open the game on their way to a 76-60 victory over Whittier Saturday in Thousand Oaks.

The Kingsmen hit their first seven field goal attempts and were 9-10 in their opening 20-point surge. Leading the team on offense in the first half were guard Chad Acerboni and forward Phil Lehmann with 12 and 10 points respectively; both players were also two of three from behind the arc. The first basket made by the Poets was a three-pointer at the 14:13 mark by Tim Fanning. Marcus Gibson led the Poets with eight first half points. The score going into halftime was 42-21 in favor of the Kingsmen.

Despite their slow start, the Poets slowly clawed themselves back into the game in the second half. A Matt Mesaros lay-up with 6:53 remaining brought the team within five points of the Kingsmen, but that was the closest they would get.

Gibson led all scorers with 19 points, including five three pointers. Fanning had 14 points and 7 rebounds on the night (the most for the Poets), while Raphael Farlough was 10-10 from the free throw line and finished with 16 total points. Anthony Taylor blocked three shots for Whittier and led all players in the category.Two Cal Lu players finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds.

Whittier will host Redlands on Wednesday night at the Graham Athletics Center on Dave Jacobs Court at 7:30pm.

Game 14 - January 18, 2006

Whittier College vs. Occidental College

Season Record 6-8

SCIAC Record 0-3

The Poet Men's Basketball team could not hold off the Tiger's offense as Whittier fell to Oxy 43-63 in the first home SCIAC game of the season. In the first half, the Poets took an early lead and were up by 4 points with 6:18 to play, but the Tigers came back and took a 28-21 lead into the locker room. In the second half Whittier could not stop the Oxy offense, which was led by Sam Betty who had 26 points on the night. The Poet offense struggled and the Tigers out-rebounded the Poets 43-35, pulling down 15 offensive boards. Zach Phillips had 13 rebounds for Oxy, 6 were offensive. Shooting only 25% as a team in the second half, the Poets leading scorer, Raphael Farlough, had 10 points. Marcus Gibson was next in line with 8. Anthony Taylor had 3 blocks and 7 boards for the Poets. 

The next action will be on the court at Cal Lutheran on Saturday evening at 7:30pm.

Game 13 - January 14, 2006

Whittier College vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College

Season Record 6-7

SCIAC Record 0-2

The Poets took on the Stags of CMS in tonight's game. The Stags took an initial lead and went up by as much as 10 points (with 7:18 to play). Andrew Gupilan hit a 3 to spark a Poets comeback. With 4:00 left in the half Raphael Farlough made a jumper to tie the score at 26, which is what the scoreboard read going into halftime.

The Poets came back strong and took a lead early in the half. They led by as much as 8 points, with 6:49 to play, but that lead did not last. The Stags came and went ahead with 1:37 remaining. Down by two with a minute left in regulation, Brandon Robinson went to the line and sank two shots to tie the game again (52-52). When Robinson missed a jumper with :06 remaining, the game was sent into overtime.

In overtime the Stags struck first with a jumper by Miles Taylor, and the Poets couldn't catch up. The final score was 60-57 in favor of the Stags.

The Poet offense was led by Raphael Farlough who had 22 points (10-16 shooting). Robinson had 14 points (8-12 from the line) and 7 rebounds (4 offensive). Anthony Taylor also had 7 boards in the game.

Game 12 - January 11, 2006

Whittier College vs. Pomona-Pitzer College

Season Record 6-6

SCIAC Record 0-1

The men's basketball team traveled to Pomona-Pitzer to take on the Sagehens in their first SCIAC game of the season. After taking an early lead, the score was tied at 13 with 15:18 to play in the first half. The game was tight and again tied (31-31) with 1:52 left in the half before Matt Mesaros hit a 3 pointer to put the Poets up 34-31. Pomona came back with a jumper of their own to bring the half time score to 34-33. The game continued this way throughout the half until the Sagehens went on a 12-3 run with 5:51 remaining. The Poets got back within 6 on jumper made by Anthony Taylor following an offensive rebound bringing the score to 60-66. Whittier missed four shots in the last :30 of play. Each team added another point showing the final score as Pomona 67, Whittier 61.

Whittier was unable to stop Pomona's Ed Wexler-Beron who had 20 points, 9 rebounds and Alexander Lloyd who had 19 points 7 rebounds to lead the Sagehens on the night. Marcus Gibson led the offense for the Poets with 12 points (hitting four 3's) followed by Matt Mesaros (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Brandon Robinson (10 points, 3 rebounds).

Whittier, now 6-6 on the season, will play at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday with tip off set for 7:30pm.

January 8, 2006

Congratulations to Brandon Robinson for being named the SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week for January 1-7!

WC: Brandon Robinson, Basketball
Senior Brandon Robinson had two double-double’s in his last three games. He had 45 points and 28 rebounds this week. Brandon was named Tournament MVP at the Purple & Gold Poet Classic held at Whittier January 5-6. Robinson had 31 total points and 17 rebounds (20 points, 13 rebounds game 1; 11 points, 4 rebounds game 2) as the Poets went on to win the Tournament over Wheaton College with a 76-72 victory in the Championship game. Earlier in the week Robinson had 14 total points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive) and 2 assists in the Poets’ 71-70 win over Southwestern College.

Game 11 - January 6, 2006 

Whittier College vs. Wheaton College  

Season Record 6-5

The Championship for the Men’s Purple & Gold POET Classic was an exciting game between the Wheaton College Thunder and the Whittier College Poets. The Poets took a 27-25 lead into half time and came back for the second half strong. The Poets went on an 18-3 run to take a 45-28 lead with 15:07 to play. The Thunder brought the game within 2 (64-62) on a three pointer by Dave Noell (Santa Barbara, CA) with 4:28 remaining. Brandon Robinson (Fontana, CA) hit a jumper and made two free-throws, while Aaron Crowley (Tucson, AZ) hit a shot, which put the Poets up 70-65 with 2:22 left in regulation. Another bucket by Robinson and one by Marcus Gibson (Villa Park, CA) made the game 74-69 before Tony Bollier (Leo, IN) hit a 3 to bring the Thunder back within 2. Jordan Kemper (Rockford, IL) then fouled Matt Mesaros (Tucson, AZ), sending him to the line for two with :09 to play. Mesaros made both shots running the final to 76-72 in favor of the Poets. Mesaros had 16 total points in the game with 6 assists, while Raphael Farlough (Los Angeles, CA) had 16 points and 5 rebounds. Both Crowley and Robinson had 11 points in the game.

The Poets shot a 52.9% (27-51) field goal percentage, 35.7% (5-14) from three-point range and 73.9% (17-23) from the line and the Thunder shot a 51.2% field goal percentage, 45% (9-20) from three-point range and 86.4% (19-22) from the line.

Game 10 - January 5, 2006

Whittier College vs. West Coast Baptist

Season Record 5-5

The final game of first day of the Purple & Gold Poet Classic was a tip-off between Whittier College and West Coast Baptist College. The Eagles quickly scored but the Poets came back with a bucket of their own and never looked back. The Poets shot 66.1% on the night (70.6% in the second half) as they put up 95 points to the Eagles 53.

Each member of the Poet squad saw playing time and 11 of 13 players scored. Brandon Robinson had a double-double with 20 total points (9-12 field goals), 13 rebounds (6 offensive). Raphael Farlough put up 13 points and had 5 rebounds and 2 steals, while Anthony Taylor and Marcus Gibson both had 12 total points. Taylor had 4 rebounds and 5 assists while Gibson had 2 steals and Brett Stell had 6 rebounds. Chris Dalley led the team with 7 assists. Matt Baker was 4-4 shooting and contributed 8 total points and Mike Sabet had 3 assists.

The Poets will face Wheaton College in the Championship Game of the P&G Tournament tomorrow at 8:00pm.

Game 9 - January 3, 2006  

Whittier College vs. Southwestern College (AZ)  

Season Record 4-5

The men hosted Southwestern College of Arizona tonight. The game was back and forth the entire first half. Going into halftime Southwestern led by 2 as the scoreboard read 34-32. The Poets came back in the second half and played better basketball than their opposition. The game was close the entire half and with a 69-68 lead the Poets saw Southwestern score to put AZ up 70-69. With 4.6 seconds remaining, senior Matt Mesaros took the ball down court and laid it in just as the buzzer went off - game over - Poets win 71-70!

The men's team had a double-double from senior Brandon Robinson who had 14 total points (4-4 from the line, 5-7 overall) and 11 rebounds (5 offensive) on the evening. Two other players, Anthony Taylor (16 tp) and Matt Mesaros (11tp) scored double digits as well. Chris Dalley led the Poets with 5 assists while Mesaros added 4.

Game 8 - December 30, 2005 

Whittier College vs. Willamette University 

Season Record 3-5

The Bearcats dominated the Poets as they traveled to Whittier from Salem, OR. The Poets were never able to get in a groove, and did not hold a lead during the entire game. After trailing by 21 going into the half, the Poets came back a bit stronger, but it wasn't enough to catch the Bearcats. In the second half of play the Poets shot 54.5% which was up from the first half, when they only shot 29%. Willamette held Whittier's top scorer, Raphael Farlough, to only 12 points, while their leading scorer, John Olinger had 33 total points on the night (12-18 field goals, 5-7 from three point range). Farlough also had 6 rebounds (4 offensive) and a block.

Anthony Taylor had 9 total points, 7 rebounds (3 offensive) and 2 blocks, while Chris Dalley had 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Brett Stell led the Poets with 4 steals on the night. Tim fanning hit 2 three-pointers and 2 free throws for 8 total points. Brandon Robinson (9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist) Mike Sabet (2 assists) and Matthew Baker (1 rebound, 1 steal) all saw some playing time for Whittier tonight.

Whittier struggled from the line as well, shooting 15-28. Willamette hit 12 of 18 3 pointers and 31-57 overall. They had three players in double digits on the night.

The Poets will host Southwestern College on January 3, 2006 at 7:30pm.

Game 7 - December 19, 2005

Whittier College vs. George Fox University

Season Record 3-4

After a slow start (shooting only 31%) the Poets came back after the half to shoot 70.8% and make it a ballgame, but fell short in the final minute 64-68. The start of the game was close, but the Bruins of George Fox University quickly took the lead and were up by as much as 18. The Bruins led 40-24 at the half on 12 total points by Phil Heu-Weller and 10 total points by Ben Melvin. The Poets leading scorer at the half was Anthony Taylor with 5 and the team's leading scorer on the season, Matt Mesaros, was held to only 4.

The Poets came back to play in the second half, putting up 40 points, and holding the Bruins to just 28, but it was just not enough. Brandon Robinson laid one in with 7:54 to play, which tied the game at 52 before quickly laying another one in putting the Poetes on top 54-52. George Fox went up again by 8, and Whittier quickly scored on a Raphael Farlough layup followed by 3-pointers by Tim Fanning and Marcus Gibson to get the game within one (64-65). The Poets had an opportunity with under :30 to play but a turnover and an Aaron Schmick layup put the game away 68-64 for the Bruins.

Raphael Farlough was 10-18 shooting and put up 22 points in the second half, the only double digit scorer for the Poets. Farlough also had a team leading 6 rebounds (4 offensive). Senior Chris Dalley had a season high 10 assists on the night while senior Brett Stell had 5 rebounds and 2 steals for the Poets.

The Poets will be back in action on Friday, December 30, 2005 at 7:30pm against Willamette University. 

Game 6 - December 17, 2005 

Whittier College @ La Sierra University

Season Record 3-3

The Poets traveled to Riverside where they defeated the Golden Eagles of La Sierra University 75-53.

Aaron Crowley and Anthony Taylor led the way in the first half putting up 7 points, 6 rebounds (5 offensive) and 10 points, 4 rebounds respectively. Crowley shot 50% from the free throw line, while Taylor and Fanning (2-2) were both perfect. Whittier held La Sierra's best shooter to 8 points in the first half of play. The Poets led at half time 37-21.

In the second half, Matt Mesaros stepped it up putting up 10 points and finishing the game with 18 (4-5 on 3 point shots and 2-2 free throws) total points. Marcus Gibson contributed a team leading 19 points, shooting .455 from 3-point range and was 4-4 from the line. Fanning also added two more free throws on the night, while Anthony Taylor had 15 points and 7 rebounds in the game.

Whittier will host George Fox University at home on Monday night with a 7:30pm tip off.

Game 5 - December 9, 2005 

Whittier College vs. Chapman University

Season Record 2-3

Poets upset Panthers

The Whittier College Poets Men's Basketball team defeated the Chapman University Panthers 69-66 in an exciting game at the Graham Athletics Center tonight. The Panthers took an early lead, but the Poets soon got right into the game on a jumper by Aaron Crowley followed by a Matt Mesaros 3 pointer. With 12:38 left to play in the first half, the Poets took the lead 9-8 and held that lead through the half. The first half offense was led by Marcus Gibson who had 11 total points hitting 4-4 (three 3 point shots) while the Panther's highest scorer at the half was Patrick Carney with 7 total points. Going into halftime the Poets were up 34-24.

The Poets held the lead until there were 6 minutes left to play. Josh Flynn-Brown of Chapman hit a 3 to knot the game at 52. After being fouled, Tim Fanning hit a free throw to put the Poets back on top 53-52, but the Panthers tied it again at 54-54 moments later. With Chapman up 57-54 (4:20 to play) Mesaros hit another 3 to tie it at 57-57 and again tied the score at 60-60 with another 3 point shot. Brandon Robinson hit a free throw to go up by 1, 61-60 and the Poets maintained the lead until the final buzzer.

With :07 seconds left Whittier turned over the ball, which was immediately turned back over into their hands. A Patrick Carney foul sent  Mesaros to the line for two. Hitting both shots the Poets went up 69-66. The Panthers attempted to tie the game with two 3-pointers in the last 3 seconds, but both were missed shots. Game Over.

Chapman entered the game undefeated with an 8-0 record and the Poets fed off the intensity of the crowd to finish on top. Mesaros finished the game with 19 points and 5 assists. The Poets are now 2-3 and play at La Sierra University on Saturday, December 17, 2005.

Game 4 - December 5, 2005

Whittier College @ BIOLA University  

Season Record 1-3

The Poets fell short to the Eagles of BIOLA University 69-81 in a non-league game. The offense was led by senior # 10 Matt Mesaros who had 18 points and 3 assists and sophomore # 32 Raphael Farlough who had 15 points and 10 rebounds (7 defensive). The Poets defense couldn't stop Brandon Warner who had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in the game. Whittier will host Chapman University on Friday evening at 7:30. 

Game 3 - November 29, 2005 

Whittier College vs. La Sierra University 

Season Record 1-2

Tonight the Poets played strong offensively and tough defensively to post their first victory of the season. Senior Matt Mesaros hit a 3 pointer to start the scoring and Whittier never looked back. Later in the half, an Aaron Crowley lay-up put the Poets up by 11 (25-14) with six and a half to play in the first half. Whittier held a double digit lead the remainder of the game. At the half Whittier led 43-25.

In the second half the Poets were 7-8 on 3-point shots. The offense was led by Mesaros who posted 17 points (5-7 3-point shots) and freshman Marcus Gibson (12 total points). Seniors Chris Dalley, Tim Fanning and David Retzlaff had 5, 4 and 3 assists respectively. Fanning also had 4 steals in the game. Defensively, the Poets were led by Raphael Farlough who had 9 total rebounds (4 offensive) and 2 blocks. Dalley and senior Anthony Taylor each had 6 rebounds as well.

Game 2 - November 18, 2005 

Whittier College vs. Bowdoin College (Babson Tournament) 

Season Record 0-2

In the consolation final, the Poets faced off against the Polar Bears of Bowdoin. After pulling within 5 points (54-59) with 9 to play in the second half, the Poets could not hold the Bowdoin offense. For Whittier, senior Matt Mesaros led the offense with 23 points, including 15 in the second half. Sophomore Raphael Farlough posted his second straight double-double in defeat for the Poets, as he scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Farlough was named to the All-Tournament team.

Game 1 - November 18, 2005

Whittier College vs. Williams College (Babson Tournament) 

Season Record 0-1

The Men's Basketball team traveled to Babson Park, MA to participate in the Babson Tournament this weekend. Whittier played Williams College in Friday night’s second semifinal matchup.  The Ephs defeated the Poets  84-60 despite a 34-32 Poet lead at the half. Whittier eventually pulled back to within eight at 65-57 with 7:10 left, but the Ephs drained three of their 15 three-pointers over the next two minutes to cruise to the 24-point win.

Sophomore Raphael Farlough scored 16 points to lead Whittier, while junior Anthony Taylor added 12 points. Each posted 5 rebounds and one block in the game.

exhibition - November 12, 2005

Whittier College vs. Australian Institute of Sport (exhibition)

The Men's Basketball team opened the season with an exhibition game against the Australian National team that trains at the Australian Institute of Sport. The Aussies topped the Poets 74-65. The Poets were lead on offense by senior Matt Mesaros who scored 19 total points during his 32 minutes of playing time and senior Anthony Taylor who had 17 points in 34 minutes on the court. Taylor led the team with 4 rebounds (2 offensive and 2 defensive) and had 2 blocks on the game.

The team had a two athletes see their first playing time for Whittier. Senior David Retzlaff started the game and had 3 assists and freshman Marcus Gibson had 9 total points and 2 defensive rebounds on the night.

For total game stats go to Season Stats.

The Poets will play again this weekend as they travel to the Babson Tournament in Boston, MA.

Welcome Back Poets

The Poets welcome back 10 members of the 2004-05 squad. Returnees include seniors, Chris Dalley, Matt Mesaros, Brandon Robinson, Mike Sabet and Brett Stell, juniors, Aaron Crowley and Anthony Taylor and sophomores, Matthew Baker, Brian Cymbolin, and Raphael Farlough. Senior, Tim Fanning, will also be rejoining the Poets after spending a semester abroad. In addition to these 11 returnees, the 2005-06 roster also includes senior transfer, David Retzlaff and a freshman class of four to round out the 15-man team. Freshman joining the Poets include Andrew Gupilan, Marcus Gibson and Brant Conner.

Whittier will open the season by hosting an exhibition game, against the Australian Institute of Sport national team, on November 12, 2005. The Poets will then travel to Boston to partake in the Babson Invitational Tournament the following weekend.