PORTLAND, Ore.—Whitman College junior Jai Deshpande knocked down six of the Blues 18 3-pointers to lead the visitors to a 114-88 conference win over Lewis & Clark College on Saturday night at Pamplin Gymnasium. 
 
THE BASICS
Whitman College 114, Lewis & Clark 88
(Lewis & Clark 5-8, Northwest Conference 1-3) 
(Whitman 8-5, NWC 2-2) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Deshpande scored a career-high 35 points on 13-15 shooting from deep to help Whitman score a season-high in points. The Blues shot 63.6 percent from the field and went 18-30 (60 percent from distance). 
 
Isaac Ticeson, Mikey Medlock Jr., and Nate Berg all scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Pioneers. Ticeson went 7-11 from the field and added three rebounds and two blocks. Medlock Jr. finished 5-8 from the field, including 2-5 from deep and corralled three boards. Berg also had an efficient night going 5-8 from the field with four rebounds. 
 
TJ Muhammad and Griffin Datcher IV were the fourth and fifth Pioneers in double figures. Muhammad finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Datcher IV pitched in 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
 
Nikko Echalas and Kody Uyesugi each added nine points for Lewis & Clark. 
 
As a team, Lewis & Clark put together their best offensive performance against an NCAA opponent this season. The Pioneers shot 54.1 percent (their second-highest mark of the season) and went 8-20 from distance (40 percent) and 14-20 from the free throw line (70 percent).
 
Whitman jumped out to an early lead (10-2) and while the Pioneers went on three runs throughout the contest to get back within striking distance – every time Whitman countered with a run of their own to wrestle control back. 
 
Lewis & Clark went on their first run before the first media timeout to close within three (10-7). Datcher IV started the mini flurry with a 3-point play and then found Medlock Jr. for a fast break layup to cut the deficit to 10-7. 
 
After the Blues extended their lead out to 13 midway through the first half (27-14), Lewis & Clark used an 8-0 spurt to cut the deficit to 27-22. Datcher IV started the run with a jumper and Uyesugi followed with three made free throws after he was fouled shooting a 3-pointer. Uyesgui drained a three on the next possession off a Muhammad pass. 
 
Whitman would immediately respond with a 13-2 flurry to push their lead to 14 and took a 59-44 lead at the half. 
 
With the margin sitting at 14 (67-53) with 16:38 to play, Lewis & Clark used a 7-2 spurt to get back within single digits for the final time. Muhammad converted a 3-point play and Echalas followed with a made jumper. After an Echalas steal, the senior found Ticeson for a fast break layup to cut the deficit to 69-60 with 14:47 to go. 
 
Whitman had one final answer. The visitors used a 15-3 run to extend the lead to, at that point, a game-high 21 points (84-63) and used a 64.5 percent shooting display in the second half to put the game away. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark outscored the Blues in fast-break points (16-14) and second-chance points (11-10). 
• Datcher IV has averaged 15 points per game in his last three contests. The junior shot a perfect 9-9 from the field on the weekend and added eight rebounds and four blocks. 
• Deshpande went 13-15 from the field, 6-8 from distance and hit all three of his free throws. The Whitman senior's previous career-high for points in a game was 28 during his sophomore season. 
• Muhammad has now scored double-digit points in all three conference games he's played in. The sophomore is averaging 13.7 points per game in NWC action.  

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will play their first two road NWC games of the season. On Friday night, Lewis & Clark will travel to Pacific Lutheran University for an 8 p.m. contest. Last season, Lewis & Clark swept the Lutes, including earning a buzzer-beating win in Tacoma on an Echalas putback.