Box Score WHITTIER, CA -- UC Santa Cruz started their road trip of the 2014 calendar year Monday as they took on Whittier College at the Purple and Gold Poet Classic in Whittier. Much like the first game between the two schools on November 21st, the Poets used a strong first half to beat the Banana Slugs 78-63.
Both teams were coming off wins in their last contest. The Banana Slugs were coming off a 65-62 victory over George Fox University last Sunday in Santa Cruz and the Poets were coming off a 92-87 overtime victory over California Maritime Academy on December 19th in Vallejo.
Whittier would lead wire to wire as they scored the first thirteen points of the game. The Banana Slugs would get on the scoreboard with 12:43 left in the half on two Matthew Ponce free throws. The Poets would take their largest lead of the half at sixteen, at 18-2, with 11:37 left after a Louis Kurihara layup. The Banana Slugs would trim the Poets' lead with a 12-4 run, capped by a James Townsend three pointer, to make the score 22-14 in favor of Whittier with 3:23 left. The Poets would outscore the Banana Slugs 11-7 over the remaining time in the half to take a 33-21 lead into the halftime intermission.
In the second half, the Poets would hold the Banana Slugs at arms' length during the entire half. The closest that the Banana Slugs would come was two, at 61-59, on a Tyler Berkness layup with 4:45 left in the game. The Poets would then go on a 15-0 run, capped by an Andrew Torres layup with 1:02 left, to make the score 76-59. The seventeen point advantage was the largest advantage of the evening for the Poets. Corey Cilia and Jared Ponce would add layups before the end of regulation as the Poets won 78-63.
Jared Ponce had twenty two points for the Banana Slugs. Torres had a game high twenty five points, off the bench, for the Poets. Marshal Arwine Jr. had nine points for the Banana Slugs in the loss. Andrew Bucholtz had fifteen points and Nick Demusis had twelve points for Whittier.
The Banana Slugs shot 45.5% (25-55) from the field, 35% (7-20) from the three point line and was 66.7% (6-9) from the free throw line. The Poets shot 45.3% (29-64) from the field, 37% (10-27) from the three point line and 71.4% (10-14) from the foul line. UC Santa Cruz's defense forced eleven Poet turnovers scoring eight points off the turnovers while the Poets' defense forced seventeen turnovers by UC Santa Cruz scoring twenty three points off the turnovers. Whittier outrebounded UC Santa Cruz 39-31 but the Banana Slugs had five more fast break points (10-5) than did the Poets.
The Banana Slugs will play their final game of the 2014 calendar year on Tuesday as they take on the University of Redlands. The game is a part of the Purple and Gold Poet Classic hosted by Whittier College in Whittier. Tipoff is set for 6 pm.
