SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Ben College scored 29 points to lead Whitworth University to a 76-65 win over host Trinity University on the opening day of the Leslie Robinson Classic on Friday afternoon.
College hit 29 points for the second straight game, thanks mostly to six three pointers. He scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half to help the Pirates (3-0) hold off several small rallies by the Tigers (0-4).
College also scored 29 points in a win over Whittier College last Saturday. Both totals are only two points off of the career-high 31 he set last season.
College opened the game with a three-pointer, sparking a 10-0 Whitworth run over the contest's first four and a half minutes. When College canned another three-pointer four minutes later, the Pirates led 19-5. The Bucs still led 32-18 after a Kyle Roach layup with five minutes left in the half. Trinity closed the period on an 11-3 run to get within 35-29 at the break.
College opened the second half with six straight points – a three-pointer and a three-point play – to extend Whitworth's lead back to a dozen (41-29). Jordan Lippman cut the margin in half with a three-pointer to pull the Tigers back within 47-41. With the Pirates leading 64-57 with three minutes to play, College drained his final three-pointer of the game, then scored a layup off a steal to extend Whitworth's advantage back to 69-57. The Pirates held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
College made 10 of 19 shots from the floor, including 6-13 from beyond the arc. He went 3-3 at the free throw line. Roach added 12 points and led the team with eight assists. Jordan Lester also scored a dozen points and led the Pirates with 10 rebounds. Whitworth shot 46% from the field and finished with a 35-30 edge in rebounding.
Isaiah Specks led Trinity with 16 points and six rebounds, Danny Rivera added 15 points and Brooks Mays finished with 10.
Whitworth will conclude its Thanksgiving trip to the Leslie Robinson Classic on Saturday afternoon with a game against UT-Dallas.