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| Sean Cervantes gets the scoring started for Whittier in a game the Poets won 70-67. Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com |
LAS VEGAS -- Despite losing two starters to injury during the game, Whittier held on down the stretch to improve to 8-2 on the season as the Poets edged Amherst 70-67 on Friday night, Dec. 27. It was the opening game at the 2025 D3hoops.com Classic, the only game of the first day.
Whittier led by as many as 14 points in the first half and led by double-digits in the second half as well despite losing guard Sean Cervantes and center Tonchi Onyeador to injury during the game. Cervantes appeared to injure a knee ligament early in the second half and Onyeador fell and appeared to bruise his tailbone. He left after 28 minutes of play with two points but a game-high 11 rebounds.
After trailing by 11 early in the second half, Amherst (7-2) cut the deficit all the way to two at 53-51 when K.J. Neville hit a driving layup with 11:06 to play, part of a second half in which the freshman scored 13 points. Whittier was able to push the lead back out to seven. The Mammoths were able to close the gap to three at 66-63 on another Neville drive and layup with 2:29 left, but again, Whittier pushed the lead back out, to six.
Amherst was finally able to get the ball with a chance to tie in the closing seconds. Zane Adnan made a nice move on the baseline to get himself a layup with 50 seconds left to cut the deficit to 69-65, then took advantage of a turnover which Adnan finished with a baby dunk to make it 69-67. Bryce Whitaker hit one of two free throws for the Poets, leaving the Mammoths with the ball with a chance to take the final shot, down by three. After the Poets managed to tie Amherst up in the frontcourt, Amherst took timeout, but the suffocating Poet defense did not allow Amherst to even get a good look at the basket and a desperation shot at the buzzer missed.
Jonathan Duley led Whittier with 18 points, while Whitaker added 14, as did Jaden Mathis. Elias Chin had a game-high 18 to lead Amherst, while Neville added 17 points off the bench, a career high. Neville shot 7-for-9 on the night.