Box Score

FOREST GROVE – A 16-point first half deficit proved to be too much for Pacific to come back from Saturday night as the Boxers fell 76-65 to a fast-paced Whitman team in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
 
The Missionaries' dribble-drive offense and pressure defense proved fitful for the Boxers in the opening 20 minutes.  Whitman forced 17 first half turnovers, resulting in 19 points, and limited the Boxers to just 37 percent shooting in the stanza to take a 41-25 halftime lead.
 
Pacific (6-5, 0-2 NWC) rebounded well in the final 20 minutes, outscoring the Missionaries 40-35.  The Boxers finished the night shooting 36.7 percent from the field (22-60) and went 17 of 21 from the free throw line.  Pacific outrebounded the Missionaries 47-30 and converted 20 second chance points.
 
Danny Brakebush (Fr., Portland, Ore.) led all scorers with 23 points, pouring in 17 in the second half.  He finished shooting 7 of 16 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and four steals.  Andrew Beatty (Sr., Lynnwood, Wash.) came off the bench to score 11 points while Dustin Bowser (Sr., Bellingham, Wash.) finished just short of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
 
Ryan Gilkey Led Whitman (9-4, 3-1 NWC) off the bench with 18 points on 6 of 9 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.  Josh Duckworth added 13 points.  Ben Eisenhardt added eight rebounds to go along with two assists and three steals.  The Missionaries finished the night shooting 48.2 percent from the field (27-56).
 
Whitman turned up the heat early, vaulting out to a 7-0 lead as the Boxers failed to score over the first five minutes of the contest.  Mitch Wettig (So., Bend, Ore.) ended the draught with his lay-in at the 15:30 mark, but the Missionaries continued to pour it on as they extended the lead to 16-6 on Duckworth's three-point play with 13:32 to go.
 
Cameron Hayes (Jr., Milton, Wash.) reduced the margin back to eight points with his free throw at midway mark of the half, but the Missionaries responded with a 16-3 run over the next five minutes that gave the visitors their biggest lead of the game 36-15, with 4:47 to go.  The Boxers were able to chisel away at the deficit late, using a lay-in by Beatty with 33 seconds left to cut it to 41-25 at the break.
 
Pacific came out of the locker room with a renewed spirit, going on an 8-3 run early and cutting the lead to 43-33 on Wettig's three-pointer two minutes into the period.  The Missionaries built the advantage back to 17 when Clark's three-pointer made it a 54-37 lead with 13:53 left, but the Boxers hung in and managed to drop the deficit to single digits when two Beatty free throws made it a 58-49 game with 9:53 to go.
 
Brakebush would made it a six-point game with his long-range jumper with 7:14 left, only to watch Whitman push the lead back to double digits as Duckworth's lay-in with 3:51 left put the Missionaries back up 12 points.  Pacific scored the next five points and were within 70-65 on Bowser's lay-in with 1:10 left.  Pacific would not score again and Whitman iced the victory by making 6 of 6 from the free throw line in the final minute.
 
Pacific returns to action on Friday as they travel to Pacific Lutheran.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.  A live audio webcast will be available at goboxers.com.  Whitman is back on action on Tuesday as they travel north to Spokane for a showdown with league-leading and No. 6 ranked Whitworth.