Swain scores 31 in loss

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Charles Swain scored a game-high 31 points but it wasn't enough as Whitman beat the Simpson men's basketball team 91-86 on Thursday night.

Simpson scored a season-high 86 points in the loss, the first in a two-game stint for the Storm in Washington State.

Swain's output was the most by a Simpson player since the 2009-10 season, when Tim Dunlavy scored 37 in the season finale. Elijah Knox added 15 and AJ Arrington came off the bench to score 14 points for the Storm (4-6).

Four starters reached double figures for the Missionaries (8-2), who won their eighth game in a row. Ben Eisenhardt led the effort with a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Simpson shot a higher percentage and out-rebounded Whitman, but committed a season-high 26 turnovers. Whitman converted those turnovers into 24 points.

Simpson led by as many as eight in the first half, but a 9-2 Whitman run closed the gap. A jumper by Jared Stansbury tied the game at 32, but a 3-pointer by Peter Clark gave the lead to back to Whitman, a lead it would not give up.

Down by as many as 15 in the second half, Simpson closed the game on a 12-2 run in the final two minutes to cut the lead to four, but it was too little, too late.

Simpson has a day off before closing its trip to Washington against Whitworth at 7/9 p.m. PST on Saturday.