Box Score

FOREST GROVE – It took a full 20 minutes for Pacific to find their shooting touch Wednesday night, but when they found it they were near unstoppable as the Boxers bounded back from a three-point halftime deficit to roll past Simpson (Calif.) 80-64 in men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
 
After shooting just 25 percent in the first half and trailing for most of the period, the Boxers (4-1) went off to shoot 51.3 percent in the second half (20-39), including 58 percent from the three-point arc.  Pacific finished the night shooting 39.2 percent from the field (29-74) and 11 of 25 from long range.
 
Just as important as scoring to the Boxers was rebounding.  The Boxers outrebounded the Redhawks 57-32 and had one more offensive rebound (25) than Simpson had defensive rebounds (24).
 
Colin Wester (Sr., Sherwood, Ore.) led Pacific with his first double-double of the season, scoring 24 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists.  He went 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 10 from three-point range.  Daniel Zitani (Jr., Oakland, Calif.) also had a big double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive glass.  Danny Brakebush (Fr., Portland, Ore.) came off the bench to score 16 points.
 
Robert Frank led Simpson (2-8) off the bench with 11 points, connecting on 5 of 9 from the field.  Jonnie Washburn added 10 points.  The Redhawks finished the night shooting 39.3 percent from the field (24-61) and just 7 of 26 from three-point range.
 
Simpson went right at the Pacific posts early, forcing Dustin Bowser (Sr., Bellingham, Wash.) to bench with two fouls just three minutes into the contest.  The Redhawks finally took advantage when Nick Dalby's three-pointer midway through the stanza started a 7-0 run that gave the visitors a 20-13 lead. 
 
The Boxers cut the lead to two three times in the final seven minutes, coming with 26-24 on J.K. Duncan's (So., Kailua, Hawaii) short-range shot with 4:01 left and were within one on Brakebush's trey with 1:46 to go.  Bryce Butcher hit the last shot of the half for Redhawks, allowing Simpson the 30-27 halftime lead.
 
Pacific sputtered early in the second half, quickly going back down 35-29 on Washburn's three-pointer.  But Bowser's lay-in at the 17:35 mark opened a 25-8 run over the next nine minutes that blew the game open.  Wester and Brakebush key the run with a trio of three-pointers Joey Burns (So., Hermiston, Ore.) punctuated it with his trey at the 9:15 mark the gave the Boxers a 55-43 lead.
 
The Redhawks continued to be within 12 points with 5:30 left when Boswer's five-footer opened a 12-0 lead that finished the game off.  Wester's free throw with 3:06 left gave the Boxers their biggest lead of the game at 77-53.  Pacific made the most of their offensive boards in the second half, scoring 18 second chance points.
 
Pacific hit the road for three games over most of the month of December.  The trip begins on Sunday as the Boxers play at Walla Walla.  Simpson returns home for a game on Friday against The Master's.