Box Score Box score
The Saints hoped for a better opening to their westward swing to Los Angeles over the holiday break, but the Poets from Whittier College dealt the blue and gold visitors a 74-58 defeat on Tuesday night on Whittier's home floor.
The Saints will look to bounce back into the win column with their game against Pomono-Pitzer on Jan. 2 in the opener of the Oxy Classic hosted by Occidental College.
Against Whittier, the Saints challenged the Poets throughout the first half, a topsy-turvy 20 minutes that saw three ties and six lead changes before the hosts would take a 35-32 lead into the intermission.
Whittier opened the second half with a 7-0 run that stretched their lead to 10, though.
The closest the Saints could come after those opening few minutes would be after a Kyle Allen (Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls HS) layup pulled St. Scholastica to within seven at 59-52 with 6:01 to play.
The Poets answered with an 8-0 run that quited the Saints comeback hopes, stretching their lead to its final 16 points over the remaining minutes.
Thirty-three St. Scholastica turnovers didn't help in the loss but Whittier's 62 percent shooting from the field in the second half is what doomed the Saints.
After shooting 54 percent in the opening stanza, the Saints dipped to 41 percent in the second half.
Troy Miller (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) led St. Scholastica with 13 points and six rebounds. Andy Schmitz added nine points in the loss.
Marcus Gibson paced Whittier with a game-high 17 points, one of four Poets to score in double-figures.
