WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Southwestern was -10 in rebounding margin and committed seven more turnovers in a 77-60 loss to Whitman College on Saturday night.
Whitman opened the contest on a 12-0 run before Southwestern got their first bucket at the 16:34 mark. The Sean Myers' layup kicked off a short spurt for the Pirates as they pulled within four, 12-8 five minutes in.
Michael Cantu's jumper at the 13 minute mark brought the Pirates within two, 17-15, but Whitman embarked on another run to lead 46-32 at halftime.
Whitman's lead ballooned to 21 points, 61-40, eight minutes into the second half. SU scored just three field goals the rest of the way but got 14 points from the free throw line as they fell 77-60.
Southwestern shot 35.7% from the floor and 26.7% from the free throw line and was led by Chase Kocher with 21 points. Jake Schifani contributed 10 points off the bench for SU.
The loss drops SU to 3-4 on the year while Whitman improves to 4-3. The Pirates have one more game in Washington as they face Whitworth College on Sunday.