Jan. 23 NWC Men’s Basketball Wrap (Stories provided by host SID)

At Willamette 91, Puget Sound 83

Salem, Ore. -- The Willamette University Bearcats (9-5, 4-1 NWC) shot 69% from the field in the second half and held the University of Puget Sound (12-2, 4-1 NWC) to nearly 25 points below their season scoring average in dealing the Loggers their first conference loss of the season, 91-83, at Cone Field House Friday night.

Miles Sandgathe scored 18 points and grabbed ten rebounds as he led five Bearcats in double figures. Ryan Rahlfs added 17 points, many of them coming on lay-ups as the Bearcat guards broke the UPS press consistently all night long.

Freshman Josh Erickson added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. David Force scored 13 points and Harold Sublett Jr. added ten for the Bearcats.

The Bearcats maintained a small lead throughout the first half (39-34 at halftime) and the first part of the second half. Six points by Rahlfs and a pair of Force free throws pushed the lead to ten just under the ten-minute mark. From there, the Loggers could get no closer than five points, the last time when Curtis Medved hit a long three pointer off a steal with 2:40 to play.

But Sandgathe countered with four straight free throws as the Bearcats stretched the lead back to 10 at the 2-minute mark and coasted from there.

Matt Glynn led the Loggers with 27 points, 16 in the first half. Chase Curtiss and Curtis Medved each added 11 for the Loggers.

For the game, the Bearcats shot 54% from the field. The Loggers made 37% of their shots. Rebounds were nearly even at 44-43, UPS. Despite the Logger’s full court pressure the entire game, the Bearcats had 23 turnovers to 24 for UPS.

Linfield 63, at Whitman 57

Walla Walla, Wash. -- The Whitman men's basketball team ran into a cold night shooting as it fell to Linfield 63-57 Friday evening in a Northwest Conference matchup in Walla Walla, Wash.

The Missionaries hit 37.7 percent of their shots in the loss, and are 6-8, 2-3 on the year. The Wildcats remained perfect at 4-0 in conference play, and are 9-4 overall.

Whitman leads the conference in shooting, making 49.1 percent from the field, but came out cold in the first half. Both teams struggled shooting the ball, but Linfield used a 6-0 run late in the half to take a 26-17 lead into the break. The Missionaries were seven of 28 from the floor while Linfield hit 12 of its 30 shots.

The Wildcats expanded their lead early in the second period, taking a 40-26 advantage on a jumper by John Broussard with 13:24 to play. Whitman cut the margin to nine four minutes later on a three-pointer by Greg Caldwell. The Wildcats responded with a 9-0 run over the next minute and a half, though, staking a 54-36 lead. Trailing 60-42 with 4:20 on the clock, the Missionaries made a late push, scoring fifteen of the next 17 points to pull within five. Sophomore Erik Kofler capped the run by hitting a trey with 52 seconds to play. Whitman was unable to complete the comeback, though, and fell 63-57.

Caldwell led all scorers in the game, with 17, and finished with a team high six rebounds and four assists. Senior post player Casey Nelson had 11 points and four rebounds.

Joe Neill hit four of six shots and was a perfect six of six at the line to lead the Wildcats with 14 points. Casey Kushiyama dished out seven assists while turning the ball over just one time and scored five. Nick Fusare knocked down eight points, and finished with a team high eight rebounds.

Each team forced 22 turnovers, and the Missionaries outrebounded the Wildcats by one, 37-36.

The Missionaries host Pacific Saturday evening in Sherwood Center as they continue their conference schedule. The Wildcats will travel to Spokane for a matchup with Whitworth.

At Lewis & Clark 79, Pacific Lutheran 54

Portland, Ore. -- The Lewis & Clark Pioneers won a decisive home victory on Friday night against the Pacific Lutheran Lutes 79-54.

The Pioneers fell into an early 5-0 deficit but led by 11 at the half. They led by as many as 32 in a game where they shot an even 50% from the field.

The Pioneers were 12-of-28 from beyond the arc. Ryan Wells led the three-point charge, hitting his first four from long-distance and finishing the evening with 12 points. Danny Winchester extended his three-point hitting streak to fifteen consecutive games by hitting three treys. He finished the evening with 13 points. Tommy Magnuson had a huge night with 16 points, 7 rebounds, two assists, and a block.

John Mietus had another dazzling night, going 8-for-12 from the field, finishing with a game-high 19 points. He had 10 rebounds (all on the defensive end), giving him his twelfth double-double in 13 games this season. He also had three steals, 1 block, and 2 assists.

For PLU, Jason Pasquiariello led the scoring with 11 points. He hit three straight three-pointers with less than five minutes left in the game to narrow the scoring margin. Sudon DeSuze had eight points and seven rebounds for the Lutes in their losing effort.

With the win, the Pioneers improve to 10-4 on the season and 3-2 in the NWC. Pacific Lutheran falls to 4-10 and 1-4 in conference play.

Pacific 72, at Whitworth 70 (ot)

Spokane, Wash. -- Bryan Depew's three-point attempt with three seconds left in overtime bounced high off the front of the rim and out to help visiting Pacific University escape with a 72-70 overtime win over Whitworth College in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night in the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The Boxers improved to 5-7 overall and 2-2 in the NWC with the win, which ended a four-game losing streak to the Pirates (9-5, 2-3). After a 16-game home winning streak, Whitworth has dropped the last two at home.

Pacific took a commanding 38-21 halftime lead. The Boxers held the Pirates to 25% (6/24) shooting from the field and 8% (1/12) from the three-point line. Meanwhile Pacific was making 50% (14/28) from the floor. Freshman guard Brandon Kawazoe scored 12 of his team high 18 points in the first half. He scored five straight points on a 7-0 run that turned a 16-12 lead into a 23-12 advantage.

But Whitworth responded with a nearly perfect half of its own, making 61% (17/28) of its shots, including 5/10 from three point range, to rally. Whitworth actually took a five-point lead at 59-54 on a lay up by Depew with 6:09 to play, but then the Pacific defense tightened up again and scored the next seven points to retake the lead 61-59 on two free throws by Kawazoe with 43 seconds left. However Whitworth's freshman point guard Bryan Williams scored on a driving shot in the key with 15 seconds left and the Boxers could not get a shot before the end of regulation.

Joe Van Domelen hit a lay-up with 1:10 to play to give the Boxers a 70-66 lead, but Pacific made only 2/4 free throws in the final minute, giving Depew his chance at the game-winning shot. Erin Gram got the rebound and dribbled out the final two seconds to preserve the win.

In addition to Kawazoe's 18 points, Nick Kelsey came off of the bench for 13 points and Gram finished with 11 points. Van Domelen had 10 points, while B.J. Anderson led all players with 13 rebounds.

Depew had a game-high 24 points and added 10 boards. John Gebbers had 12 points before fouling out in the second half. Scott Bierlink and Williams each scored 11 and Williams finished with six assists.

The Boxers will try to make an Eastern Washington sweep when they travel to Whitman College on Saturday night. Whitworth will take on Linfield, which will also try to sweep in Eastern Washington after the Wildcats won 63-57 at Whitman on Friday.