Willamette Falls to Whitman 83-67 Despite Frank's 18 Points

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Josiah Frank (Jr., G, Turlock, CA/John H. Pitman HS) earned 18 points for Willamette University on Friday, Jan. 26 against Whitman College for his 13th double-digit scoring game of the season, but the Blues defeated the Bearcats, 83-67, at Cone Field House. Willamette slipped to 10-7 overall, 5-4 in the NWC. Whitman moved to 13-5 overall and to 7-2 in the conference. The Blues lost to Willamette 91-84 in Walla Walla, Washington, on Dec. 2. Their only other NWC loss was at conference-leading Whitworth University, 76-69, on Jan. 2.

Whitworth, which fell at Pacific University on Friday, leads the NWC at 8-1. Willamette will take on Whitworth at Cone Field House on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. PST.

Frank was 7 of 15 from the field and 2 of 4 on 3-point shots. In addition to leading WU in scoring, he also grabbed five rebounds. He is the Bearcats' top scorer with 16.5 points per game this season.

Against Whitman, Gavin Weisweaver (Jr., G, Boise, ID/Vallivue HS/Treasure Valley CC) added nine points for Willamette. Caleb Moore (So., G, Wadley, GA/Washington County HS/Bard College) registered eight points, four rebounds, and two assists. Three Bearcats -- Ryder Hsiung (Jr., G, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School), D'Ante Dean (Jr., F, Nassau, Bahamas/British Columbia Christian Acad./Peninsula College), and Kahiau Bruhn (So., W, Waimanalo, HI/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama -- provided six points apiece.

Dean led the Bearcats with six rebounds and two blocked shots. Frank followed on the glass with five rebounds. Moore, Hsiung, and Bruhn each grabbed four boards.

Whitman was topped by Jai Deshpande with a game-high 25 points as he connected on 7 of 11 field goals and sank 11 of 11 free throws. Jander Cline supplied the Blues with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals. Isaiah Amato scored 14 points and corralled five boards. Ali Efe Isik contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

There were three ties and four lead changes in the first half before the Blues took a 42-38 advantage into the halftime break. Frank of Willamette and Deshpande of Whitman each scored 13 points in the first 20 minutes.

Early in the game, the Blues owned a 14-7 advantage following a driving layup by Amato with 14:00 left in the half. Whitman also led 20-13 after Isik scored on a layup about four minutes later. Willamette countered with a 10-0 run that featured a 3-pointer by Frank and scoring by four other Bearcats, giving WU a 23-20 edge.

The Blues regained a seven-point margin at 40-33 on a 3-point basket by Alex Pape at the 1:32 mark. Each team added a basket for a 42-35 score, and then Frank put through a 3-pointer for Willamette with 10 seconds left.

Whitman opened the second half with a 6-0 run to grab a 48-38 advantage with 16:42 to go. The Bearcats cut the deficit to 48-42 on a jumper by Hsiung at 16:33. About 20 seconds later, Hsiung earned a steal and was fouled. He hit both free throws to cut the deficit to 48-42 with 16:07 left. An 11-4 run by the Blues expanded the margin to 59-46 following a layup by Isik at the 11:50 mark.

A layup by Bruhn pulled WU within 59-49 a bit later, but Whitman countered with a 7-0 run. The Blues held a comfortable lead the rest of the game.

Willamette shot 39.4% from the field (26 of 66) and made just 3 of 19 three-pointers (15.8%). Whitman made 48.1% of its field goal attempts (26 of 54) and hit 6 of 14 three-point tries (42.9%). The Blues were 25 of 33 at the free throw line (75.8%) and recorded a 38-35 rebounding margin. The Bearcats gained a 42-32 lead in the paint and a 13-0 margin in second-chance points.