Box Score

FOREST GROVE – It was a tale of two halves Friday night.  Pacific could do no wrong in the first half and Willamette could do no wrong in the second with the Bearcats running away with the 78-71 win over the Boxers in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
 
The Boxers blistered the nets in the first half, shooting 60 percent from the field, 64 percent from three-point range and a perfect 5 for 5 from the free throw line to take a 10-point halftime lead.  While the Boxers cooled to 33 percent in the second half, Willamette took advantage as they shot 48.5 percent in the final 20 minutes and outscored the Boxers 44-27.
 
Mitch Wettig notched his fourth double-double of the season as he led all players with 20 points and 11 rebounds.  He shot 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range.  Bobby Ahern (Jr., Madras, Ore.) and Devon Pouncey (Jr., Vallejo, Calif.) each scored 12.  Pacific finished the night shooting 46.3 percent from the field (25-54) and 14 of 29 from three-point range.
 
Brandon Luedtke led five Willamette players in double figures with 17 points, connecting on 8 of 11 from the field.  Bridger Harlington scored 13 points, Brendon McCullough finished with 12 while Joseph Jackson and Talanoa Smith each had 10.  The Bearcats shot 44.6 percent from the field (29-65) and converted 23 Pacific turnovers into 29 points.
 
With the loss, Pacific dropped to 8-9, 3-5 NWC.  Willamette improved to 5-11, 3-4 NWC.
 
While the Boxers built the double-digit lead at halftime, the first half was a close affair until late.  The game was tied at 14-14 just five minutes in when a three-point play by Skyler Burgess (Jr., Riverton, Utah) opened up a 6-0 run that put the Boxers up 20-14 on Michael Garcia's (Fr., Forest Grove, Ore.) three-pointer with 13:29 left.  Willamette reduced the lead to 24-22 on Luedtke's lay-in with 9:30 left and took a three-point lead, 30-27, on Smith's jumper with 6:40 to go.
 
From that point, Pacific went on a 17-4 run to close the half as the Bearcats went 1 of 11 from the field in the final six minutes.  Making his return from injury, Danny Brakebush (So., Portland, Ore.)  nailed a three-point with 2:48 that gave the Boxers a 42-30 advantage and two Pouncey free throws gave Pacific it's largest lead of the night, 44-30, with 2:16 left.  Two Hayden Russell free throws and Luedtke's lay-in late allowed the Bearcats within 44-34 at the half.
 
Pacific's double-digit lead held until 11 minutes left in the second half as the Boxers went 4 of 18 in that stretch.  Luedtke used a lay-in to give Willamette the lead for good at 60-59 with 9:05 left and McCullough's jumper with 7:54 left gave the Bearcats the 65-59 lead. 
 
McCullough would give Willamette their biggest lead of 71-63 with 4:19 left when the Boxers made a short run, culminating on Wettig's lay-in with 2:03 left that made it a 72-70 game.  But Willamette converted when they needed to, making 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch for the win.
 
Pacific continues their four-game home stand next Friday, hosting Linfield with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m.  A live video webcast of the game will be available at GoBoxers.com.