Feb. 7 NWC Men’s Basketball Wrap (Stories provided by host SID)

At Puget Sound 90, Pacific 73

Tacoma, Wash. -- Puget Sound used nine second half three-pointers and a defense that forced 21 turnovers to knockout the Boxers of Pacific University 90-73 Saturday night.  The win keeps the Loggers perfect at home on the year, and pushes their conference leading record to 17-2, 9-1.  Pacific loses their first conference road game of the year tonight, bringing their record to 7-10, 4-5.

Puget Sound had six players score in double digits, led by senior guard Matt Glynn.  Forward Chris O'Donnell had a season high 16 points, 14 in the first half, as the Loggers used perhaps their most balanced attack to fend off a determined Boxers squad.  A three-pointer by Olympia product Curtis Medved gave the Loggers a 36-34 halftime lead.

Puget Sound struggled from the field early, hitting only 32% of their shots in the first half.  However, the Loggers dominated the glass, grabbing 32 rebounds, 17 of them offensive, to keep the game close.  The Boxers were led by 12 first half points by guard Erin Gram.

In the second half the Loggers got it going from deep, connecting on 9 of 18 three-point shots.  Medved led the way with three, and finished the night with 16 points on 11 of 16 shooting.  Puget Sound used a 9-0 run midway through the half to push-out to a 71-56 advantage with 8:52 on the clock.  Pacific would get the lead down to eight, but could get no closer in the closing 7 minutes, falling behind by as many as 21 as the Loggers cruised to their 17th win of the year.

The Boxers got good effort from guards Erin Gram and Branden Kawazoe.  Gram led all Pacific scorers with 22 points and also dished-out a team high five assists.  Kawazoe had 19 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds in 35 hard played minutes.

Whitworth 58, at Willamette 57

Salem, Ore. -- Bryan Depew hit two free throws with 9.7 seconds remaining and the Whitworth Pirates (14-5, 7-3 NWC) scored their last 11 points from the foul line as the Pirates beat a cold-shooting Willamette University men’s basketball team (13-6, 8-2 NWC), 58-57, in a Northwest Conference game Saturday night at the Cone Field House.

Depew had a team-high 22 points and six rebounds, and John Gebbers added 20, including five of six free throws in the final three minutes.

The clutch foul shooting spoiled a Bearcat comeback led by David Force (23 points, nine rebounds). Force scored 15 of the Bearcats final 19 points, including a lay-up and free throw with 4.7 seconds left to bring the Bearcats within one at 58-57.

John Olinger tipped the ensuing inbounds pass to Brennan Garrelts and the Bearcats had one final shot with three seconds left. But Olinger missed a jumper from the top of the key and the Pirates escaped with the victory.

The Bearcats suffered through a cold shooting night, hitting only 16 of 55 from the field for 30%. The Pirates shot 42% from the field and hit 17-22 free throws in the contest. The Bearcats were 22 of 30 from the foul line.

Rebounds were even at 35 each. The Pirates had 13 turnovers to the Bearcats’ 8. The usually hot-shooting Bearcats managed just three of 17 from beyond the arc. Whitworth was 3-12 in three-point shots.

At Lewis & Clark 76, Whitman 61

Portland, Ore. -- In a game knotted 28 apiece at the half, the Pioneers came back out of the locker room inspired and dominated Whitman to win by a final score of 76-61. In a game where John Mietus played only nine minutes, the Pioneers had to rely on a new game plan that helped them score as many points in the second half as they did in the entire game Friday night.

The Pioneers used the same attack they did the first time they faced Whitman, hitting the three. The Pioneers took 41 three-point shots, hitting 17 of them. Danny Winchester led the Pioneers with 25 points, including going 7-for-15 from beyond the arc. He also had three assists. Ryan Wells was 7-for-13 from beyond the arc and had 23 points. In the first

half, a lone field goal by Ryan Bruno were the only two points not scored by Wells and Winchester.

Wells, Winchester, Adam Merino and Tommy Magnuson were all perfect from the freethrow line. Winchester has missed only one shot from the stripe all season long. Ryan Bruno led the rebounding with seven boards. Adam Merino had eight assists.

The Pioneer players and fans had quite a scare two minutes into the game when forward John Mietus had to be helped off the court with an injury. A deep facial laceration kept Mietus out of the first half. He tried to return to the game in the second half, but was unsuccessful at playing more than a minute at a time. He finished the night with 8 points and four rebounds in the seven broken-up minutes he played after receiving the gash above his eye.

For Whitman, Casey Nelson led the scorers with 11 points. Kyle Davit had seven rebounds. Greg Ricker had six points, six assists, and six rebounds.

With the win, the Pioneers improve to 5-5 in the NWC. Whitman falls to 2-8. The Pioneers have now defeated the Missionaries the last eleven times they have played them.

George Fox 82, at Pacific Lutheran 72

Parkland, Wash. - A 13-3 run by George Fox late in the second half propelled the Bruins to an 82-72 victory over Pacific Lutheran in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game tonight at Olson Auditorium.

Pacific Lutheran (4-15, 1-9 NWC) grabbed a 65-64 lead on Sudon DeSuze's lay-up with 5:59 remaining. George Fox (6-13, 2-8 NWC) answered on Mark Gayman's three pointer, beginning the 13-3 spurt that put the Bruins in front 75-68. DeSuze made a lay-up and Kurt Oliver sank two free throws to bring the Lutes to within three, 75-72, with 1:22 remaining. But George Fox made 7 of 8 foul shots down the stretch to secure the win.

The Bruins scored 12 points to PLU's two in the final 2:32 of the first half to take a 44-37 advantage at halftime. The Lutes tied the score at 61-61 on Hazen Hyland's jumper with 9:25 left. Gayman connected on a jump shot and DeSuze made a lay-up for a 63-63 tie. Scott Szalay made one-of-two foul shots for a 64-63 George Fox lead, then DeSuze made another lay-up for the 65-64 PLU advantage.

Drew Cardwell led the Lutes with 20 points and 6 rebounds, and Jason Pasquariello scored 15. Aaron Schmick tallied 27 points to lead George Fox. Ben Melvin chipped in 17, and Gayman and Szalay both had 12 points.