Box Score

FOREST GROVE – Pacific relied on it's post players to perform both inside and outside Saturday night as forwards Daniel Zitani (Sr., Oakland, Calif.) and Mitch Wettig (Jr., Bend, Ore.) led the Boxers to a 72-69 victory over Pacific Lutheran in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
 
Zitani led all scorers with 25 points, connecting on 8 of 15 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, and 7 of 11 from the free throw line.  Wettig was just as potent, connecting for 15 points on 6 of 10 from the field and three three-pointers.  Wettig also had eight rebounds, sharing top honors for the Boxers with Budweiser Hawkins (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.).
 
The duo helped Pacific (10-5, 3-3 NWC) snap a two-game losing streak and secure their second straight 10-win season.  The Boxers finished the night shooting 48.1 percent from the field (25-52) and an impressive 45.5 percent from three-point range (10-22).  Pacific also finished with just five turnovers, matching their season low.
 
Bryce Miller paced Pacific Lutheran (4-11, 1-5 NWC) with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds as four Lutes finished in double figures.  Terrell Williams and Brandon Lester each scored 13 points while Kai Hoyt added 12 points, eight of which came in the first half.  PLU finished the evening shooting 50.9 percent from the field (27-53), but just 8 of 14 from the free throw line.
 
Pacific controlled the pace for much of the first half, but never found a way to completely shake the Lutes.  The Boxers used a 7-0 run to pull away from a 12-12 tie, going up 21-14 on Cameron Hayes' (Sr., Milton, Wash.) short-range jumper at the 12-minute mark.  PLU pulled back to within one on Kevin McCrossin's three-pointer with six minutes to go, but the Boxers closed the half on a 7-1 run as both teams cooled from the field. 
 
Wettig hit his second three-pointer of the night with 1:22 left in the period, helping Pacific to go into the locker room with the 34-27 lead.
 
Pacific only got hotter in the second half, shooting 57 percent from the field and 68 percent from beyond the arc.  Zitani scored 12 points in the period and his jumper with 6:09 to go gave the Boxers their largest lead of 13 points, 63-50.
 
The Lutes proceeded to give the Boxers a scare, though, going on a 10-2 over a two-minute span late.  Brandon Lester's three-pointer opened the rally with 3:32 left and Arvid Isaksen's lay-in with 55 seconds left put the Lutes with three at 67-64.  The teams traded three-pointers on their next possessions before Riley Grandinetti (Jr., Murray, Utah) iced the same with two free throws with nine seconds to go.
 
Pacific returns to the home floor on Friday, hosting Puget Sound for an 8 p.m. tipoff.  Live audio and video webcasts of the game can be accessed at GoBoxers.com.  Pacific Lutheran will host Linfield on Friday.