WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Led by junior marksman Peter Clark, the Whitman College long-range sharpshooters were out en masse as the Missionaries shot their way past Cal Lutheran 68-62 Saturday afternoon in a neutral-court game at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif.

Whitman, now 3-1 to start its season, ran up 11-point leads on a number of occasions but never quite shook free from the stubborn Kingsmen.

Clark

Cal Lutheran, 1-2, rallied from a pair of 11-point deficits late in the first half to forge a 31-31 deadlock at intermission.

Whitman regained command to start the second half, starting with Clark's fifth 3-pointer of the game on the first Missionary possession. Senior David Michaels followed with two more long bombs as the Missionaries sharpened their collective aim.

Sophomore Jordan Dickson then joined the party with two 3-point strikes, hitting one on either side of Clark's sixth bull's-eye.

After senior Brandon Shaw picked off a steal and fed Dickson for a layup, Whitman was back in front by 11 at 57-46 with 10 minutes left.

The Kingsmen came right back with five quick points, but sophomore LuQuam Thompson dropped in another 3-pointer to give the Missionaries a 60-51 lead with eight minutes remaining.

Dickson

After Cal Lutheran countered with four straight points, sophomore Josh Duckworth drained a pair of free throws and Clark canned his seventh and last three of the day to push Whitman's lead back to 65-55 with four minutes on the clock. 

The Kingsmen again responded with a four-point run, but junior Drew Raher scored inside with 33 seconds left for a 67-59 Whitman lead.

A Cal Lutheran 3-pointer made it a five-point game, but Thompson made one of two free throws with 18 seconds left to finish the scoring.

Clark matched his career-high scoring total with a game-high 21 points. His seven 3-pointers is a career-high for the 6-foot-4 wing.

Whitman, 13 of 32 (40.6 percent) from the 3-point line, finished the day at 44.4 percent from the floor overall, making its 24 of 54 shots.

Cal Lutheran shot 52.2 percent from the field, but couldn't keep pace while hitting just six times from the 3-point stripe.

Duckworth

Michaels, who blitzed Chapman for a career-high 31 points on Friday, added 14 points and five rebounds against Cal Lutheran. He was five of eight from the floor, including two of four from 3-point, and handed out three assists.

Shaw chipped in with eight points and four assists. Whitman also got eight points (two 3-pointers) from Dickson and seven points and four rebounds from Duckworth, who missed Friday's victory over Chapman because of illness.

Whitman out-rebounded the Kingsmen 30-28 with senior D.J. Wright snaring a team-high six boards. Thompson sparked the defense with three steals.

Mike Harris led Cal Lutheran with 20 points and seven rebounds. Collin Knudsen added 16 points and five assists while Jayvaughn Nettles just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Wright

Whitman controlled most of the first half, spotting Cal Lutheran the first two points before using a 12-2 run over the next six-plus minutes to lead 12-4 at the 12:05 mark.

Clark triggered the run with a pair of 3-pointers assisted by Thompson.

Duckworth's steal and layup had Whitman in front 16-5 as the opening half neared the midway point.

With the Missionaries ahead 17-12, Duckworth nailed a 3-pointer, Michaels added a free throw and Duckworth put back his own miss, lifting Whitman into a 23-16 lead with 6:26 left.

Following a Cal Lutheran 3-pointer, Michaels scored inside to keep Whitman on top by double digits at 28-18.

But the Kingsmen clicked off nine straight points and finished the half on a 13-3 run to square the game at 31-31.

The ast meeting between the two schools was in November of 2007, when Cal Lutheran posted a 72-67 victory in Pasadena, Calif.

Whitman returns home to host its first two Northwest Conference games next weekend. George Fox is in town Friday followed by Lewis & Clark on Saturday. Both games start at 8 p.m. in Sherwood Center.

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu