MARIETTA, Ohio — It has been exactly one calendar year since top-ranked Whitman's basketball team has lost a game.

After watching the Blues dismantle Hardin-Simmons 102-82 in the first game of the Marietta Sectional Round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Friday night at Marietta College Ban Johnson Arena, it's difficult to see how they'll lose this season.

Whitman is now 30-0 on the season and faces the winner of Marietta and Rochester at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Blues' last loss was 99-73 set back against St. Thomas in the Semifinal Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 11, 2016.

Despite 30 straight wins this season, the Blues aren't taking anything for granted.

"I don't think we focus on it too much (the record)," said junior Tim Howell. "After conference this is a new season now. Taking it one game at a time and one game schedules. We're playing each game like it's our last."

Howell played pretty much like every other game this season.

The Calabasas, Calif., native scored a game-high 28 points to go with five rebounds and four assists.

"I thought we looked great and thought we looked like we were having a lot of fun," said Whitman coach Eric Bridgeland. "When we're together, we run up and down and have a lot of fun."

Whitman's relentless pressure defense was too much for the Cowboys (24-7) to start the game. The Blues led by as many as 18 (36-18) with 7:37 to play in the first half. Hardin-Simmons turned the ball over 17 times, which led 20 points for Whitman.

"Going 30-0 is about as good as it gets," said Hardin Simmons coach Craig Carse, who coached his final game. "Right now it stings because we are a basketball team and basketball players and we want to do well. We know we didn't bring our A game tonight. Part of that is naturally Whitman's responsibility, and part of that I think is a little bit of ourselves."

Whitman sophomore Joey Hewitt said the defense is what got the Blues fired up Friday.

"That's what we pride ourselves on," said Hewitt, who scored 21 points and added five steals. "We pressure teams and it seemed like early in game they were kind of caught off guard."

The Blues led 50-40 at halftime, but Hardin Simmons found some life in the second half. They opened on an 11-1 run to knot the game at 51-51. The game was also tied at 58-58 with 15:24 to play, but the Cowboys could never take the lead.

From there, Whitman ended up outscoring Hardin Simmons 44-24 the rest of the game.

Bridgeland wasn't surprised to see the Cowboys make a run like that.

"That's the greatest thing about our tournament at Division III. Three quarters of the teams are conference champions," he said. "There's not a lot of at-larges out there. They've been through adversity and figured out a way to get here."

Hardin Simmons senior Justin Jones scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while fellow senior Nathaniel Jack added 21 points and five assists.

Whitman received strong performances from junior Jase Harrison (18 points) and sophomore Austin Butler (13 points).

"This is so much fun being able to have this journey with these guys," Howell said. "I love every one of my brothers on this team and the coaching staff."