PORTLAND, Ore.—Junior guard Nikko Echalas hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.7 seconds to play, to lift Lewis & Clark College men's basketball past Linfield University 70-67 on Friday night at Pamplin Gymnasium.
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 70, Linfield 67
(Lewis & Clark 8-6, Northwest Conference 2-3)
(Linfield 5-8, NWC 3-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a Linfield jumper tied the game at 67 with 24 seconds left, Lewis & Clark senior guard Brenden Patrick brought the ball up and listened to Coach Tim McCrory's instructions. The Pioneers cleared out to give Patrick a shot at a chance at a game-winning shot. With under seven seconds to go, Patrick began his drive to the basket, but he was forced to pick up his dribble just past the elbow. He turned and kicked the ball to the far wing for a wide-open Echalas who drained the game-winning three right in front of the Pioneers bench.
After a raucous Pioneers celebration, the referees put 0.7 seconds left on the clock to give Linfield a chance to force overtime. The long baseball pass connected with a Wildcat but he was inside the 3-point line and never got a chance to get off a game-tying shot.
Echalas' three-pointer capped off a strong day for the junior transfer who was playing in just his second conference game for the Pioneers (2-0) and his first game since suffering an injury on December 2. He finished the game with nine points on 4-8 shooting and added five rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes.
Friday night saw an incredibly balanced Pioneers attack. Three players finished in double-figures and six Lewis & Clark players posted eight points or more.
Senior Jack Henderson recorded a team-high 15 points and tied for the team-lead with six rebounds. Patrick chipped in with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore Sebastian DePrez looked like he was going to be the hero for most of the night. He posted a career-best 14 points on 7-11 shooting and added six rebounds and two assists.
Graduate student Tyler McFarland stayed red-hot by hitting three of his five 3-point attempts (nine total points) and senior Grant Stewart chipped in eight points and three rebounds.
Linfield's Trey Bryant led all players with his game-high 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The first half was almost all Lewis & Clark as the Pioneers shot 58.6 percent (17-29) from the field and 50 percent (6-12) from distance to race out to a 45-34 advantage.
The start of the second half couldn't have been any different. Lewis & Clark started the second stanza 0-9 from the field and managed just six points in the first 11:41 of the half. Linfield took advantage of the Pioneers offensive woes to grab a 54-51 advantage with under nine minutes to play in regulation.
Lewis & Clark answered with a 6-0 run to grab a 57-54 edge with 5:15 to play and would hold onto that lead until Alex Jaczko hit a layup with 24 seconds left to tie the game and setup Echalas' game-winner.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The victory snapped a three-game conference losing streak for the Pioneers and helped Lewis & Clark stay above .500 overall (8-6) and at home (5-3).
- The Pioneers biggest advantage in the game was from the free throw line. Lewis & Clark continued their hot shooting at the charity stripe (15-19, 78.9 percent) and held Linfield to just six attempts (3-6, 50 percent).
- DePrez's 14 points, seven made field goals and 26 minutes played were all season-highs. He posted a then career-best 10 points in the Pioneers opener but missed over a month of the season due to an injury.
- Echalas' 3-pointer was just his third made 3-pointer in 12 total attempts (25 percent) this season. In two conference games this year, he's averaging 13 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.
- The win over Linfield snapped a four-game losing streak against the Wildcats and marked the Pioneers first win in Portland against Linfield since February 9, 2016.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark will look for their first NWC weekend sweep of the season, when they travel to take on Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday at 4 p.m.