SALEM, Ore. - Former baseball legend Yogi Berra, the master of the malaprop, would have called it déjà vu all over again. Kyle MacTaggart simply would say that it was a long time in coming.
MacTaggart tied his collegiate career scoring high with 31 points Saturday night to lead the Pacific Lutheran Lutes to a convincing 99-72 Northwest Conference men's basketball road win over the host Willamette Bearcats at Cone Field House.
With the win, their fourth in the last five games, the Lutes improved their overall record to 10-6. More importantly, they are 5-3 and in third place at the halfway point of the conference season. With the loss, Willamette fell to 4-13 overall and 1-7 in the conference.
It was a year ago to the day - and in the same gymnasium - that MacTaggart scored a career-high 31 points in leading PLU to a 96-90 victory over Willamette. Fast forward to tonight's game, when the 6-4 senior wing from Arizona shot 9-for-17 from the field, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, in addition to hitting 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
The breakout game was awhile in coming this year for MacTaggart, who a year ago led the Lutes in scoring with 14.2 points per contest. This year, he has experienced more down games than up, as evidenced by his 9.7 scoring average. Still, the Lutes are winning - they are off to the best start after 16 games by a PLU team since the 1996-97 Lutes started 10-6 on the way to a 15-10 overall record.
The up-and-down flow of tonight's game suited MacTaggart and his teammates, who at other times this year have shown the ability to win contests played at a more deliberate tempo. Sophomore guard Andrew Earnest showed off his three-point marksmanship by knocking down 6-for-7 from range on the way to 24 points. In fact, MacTaggart and Earnest combined to make all 11 of the Lutes' three-point shots as the team hit 55 percent (11-for-20) from outside the circle.
Meanwhile, senior post Victor Bull was doing the tough work inside, registering a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
PLU last scored at least 100 points during the 2008-09 season - in fact it scored triple digits on three occasions that year - and came close on this night before settling at 99.
The Lutes held a 41-33 lead late in the first half when they scored 11 consecutive points - six by Bull, five by MacTaggart - to break open the game. They never led by less than 14 points in the second half and their advantage got as large as 28 points before they ended up with the 27-point win.
PLU shot 44 percent overall (29-for-66) from the field and 81 percent (30-for-37) from the charity stripe.
Taylor Mounts led the Bearcats with 30 points and eight rebounds.
- PLU -