The Dixie Sun

Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Amanda Anderson Freshman forward Zach Robbins, a general education major from Upland, Calif., dunks the ball during an exhibition game against Whittier College. DSC is on the right track to start the season after winning 105-74.

The Red Storm played in the Burns Arena for the first time this year and came away with a big win, trouncing Whittier College 105-74.

Both teams came out of the gate shooting. DSC scored first, but the Poets immediately responded with a three-pointer. The fast start did not allow either team to pull away, but the Red Storm finally started to pull away with 3:12 left in the half. Junior forward Tom Whitehead scored seven of nine straight points for DSC to extend the lead. The Red Storm led the Poets 54-14 at the half.

Senior guard Adam Ross, an integrated studies major from Torrance, Calif., said the team played great against Whittier, but there are still areas where DSC can improve.

"We played pretty well, but we could probably have rebounded better," Ross said. "I thought we played a really fast paced game. We need to make some better stops because we gave up 74 points."

The team started the second half with as much ferocity as it ended the first. Whitehead and junior guard Donovan Plunkett hit long-distance threes and freshman forward/center Zach Robbins executed a pair of jump shots to give DSC a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Ross said the exhibition games will really help the team start out the season right.

"I think the exhibitions games will help us know what to expect," Ross said. "Last year we just went right into it. This year we were able to adjust and win."

Robbins had a fantastic game on his way to a double-double, 20 points and 12 rebounds. Three other Red Storm players scored double figures. Whitehead had 19 points, junior guard Jeremiah Barnes had 15, and Plunkett had 10. Every player who saw time scored at least four points. DSC as a whole shot 58.6 percent from the field.

Ross said Robbins brings a lot of energy to the team.

"He doesn't play like a freshman," Ross said. "He gets after it. He can alter shots and he runs the court pretty good."

Both senior forward Andy Palmer, suffering from sore ribs, and senior forward/center Nick Howard, suffering from a sprained ankle, missed the game, but Whitehead, a business major from St. George, said the freshmen stepped up and filled the void the injured seniors left.

Continued...

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