OLYMPIA - Pacific Lutheran made it five wins in a row with an 86-69 non-conference men's basketball victory over the host Evergreen State Geoducks on Tuesday night at The Greenhouse.
Curtis Trondsen came off the bench to knock down four three-point shots on the way to a game-high 18 points. He led a first half surge that helped the Lutes, now 6-4 this season, open up a double-digit lead on the way to the win. With the defeat, Evergreen State falls to 5-9 for the season.
Johnny Sarysz hit a three-point shot as the Geoducks built an early 7-6 lead, but once Victor Bull gave the Lutes an 8-7 advantage on a basket just 3 1/3 minutes into the opening period, the Lutes never again trailed.
Leading 12-11, the Lutes scored six unanswered points, including a Trondsen three-ball, to surge out to an 18-11 lead, and they continued to build their advantage through the middle part of the period behind Trondsen's three-point shooting. The 6-5 senior wing was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the opening half. Trondsen's fourth long bomb of the half gave PLU a 38-22 advantage with 4:28 left in the period.
Josh Troyer drilled a three-point inside the final minute as the Geoducks pulled to within nine points, 42-33, at the intermission. At that point, the Lutes were shooting 54 percent from the field, 63 percent from three-point range and 88 percent from the free throw line.
PLU converted five consecutive possessions into baskets in the early part of the second half to build a 56-35 lead, and Kyle MacTaggart's fast break layup with 11:21 remaining gave the Lutes a 62-39 margin, their largest of the game.
In addition to Trondsen's 18 points, Andrew Earnest finished with 14 points and Kai Hoyt added 10. The Lutes shot 62 percent (33-for-53) from the field, including 50 percent (6-for-12) from three-point range. Bull led the Lutes with seven rebounds and Tony Polis, seeing most of the action at point guard for foul-plagued starter James Conti, had five assists.
Mikey Hope scored 17 points and Troyer added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Geoducks, who hurt their own cause with 24 turnovers.
The Lutes return to action on Friday, Jan. 7, when they travel to Spokane to face the Whitworth Pirates in a Northwest Conference game.
- PLU -