Feb. 26, 2008

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Lutes Split Final Weekend, Finish Season 11-13

LUTES HOLD OFF LINFIELD IN OT: On a weekend when a trio of seniors were being honored for playing their final games for Pacific Lutheran, it was a handful of freshmen who made key plays for the Lutes in an exciting 98-95 Northwest Conference men’s basketball victory over Linfield that wasn’t decided until overtime. Kyle MacTaggart’s spin move and layup with 4.3 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 81-81 and sent it into overtime, and Tommy Begalka hit a big three-point shot with 1:14 left in the extra period to put the Lutes on top 92-87. It was a lead the Lutes would not give up despite Linfield’s best efforts. The visiting Wildcats started out hot, taking a 28-16 lead on Steve Taylor’s three-point field goal with 10:39 remaining in the first half. The Lutes responded with a 22-9 run, capping the rally on a follow basket by Curtis Trondsen, and taking their first lead since early in the first half, 38-37. The teams went into intermission with the Lutes on top, 44-40. Pacific Lutheran maintained the lead for the first 13 minutes of the second half, leading by as much as eight points in several occasions, the final time at 65-57 on a reverse layup by Gregory Bogdan with 10:53 remaining in regulation. Linfield eventually regained the lead, 74-73, on Drew Schroeder’s layup at the 6:04 mark. From there, the teams battled on even terms until K.C. Wiser took an inbounds pass from near his own basket and nailed a three-pointer from the corner to give the Wildcats an 81-79 lead with 13.4 seconds showing. That left it up to MacTaggart, who weaved through the Linfield defense, spun open in the lane and hit the layup that sent the game into overtime. A pair of seniors got the Lutes going in overtime. First, post Scott McDaniels hit a layup, and following a free throw by Linfield’s Erik Olson, point guard Landon Heidenreich hit a three-point shot to give the Lutes a four-point lead. Later, Wiser finished off a three-point play to pull the Wildcats within two points, but Begalka hit the biggest three-pointer of his young college career to put the Lutes back on top by five points. After Taylor hit a leaning three-pointer to pull Linfield to within 97-95 with 5.3 seconds left, Begalka hit the second of two free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining, and Taylor’s last-ditch effort was blocked by Bogdan. A total of five Pacific Lutheran players finished in double figures, led by Heidenreich and junior wing Josh Dressler with 16 points apiece. Freshmen MacTaggart and Begalka both finished with 12 points, a new collegiate career high for Begalka. McDaniels added 12 points and led all players with 14 rebounds, helping the Lutes to a 48-39 lead in that area.

HOWE LEADS BOXERS PAST LUTES: On Saturday night in Olson Auditorium, Pacific’s Garold Howe poured in 29 points as the Boxers defeated the Lutes, 72-64, in the season finale for both teams. Howe was 13-for-20 from the field and made three of his four three-point attempts in leading both teams in scoring. He also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. The first half was close with nine lead changes and four ties. The Boxers led by five points on several occasions in the first half while the Lutes managed a three-point lead on the first basket of the game by Jared Brandeberry. That field goal offered a story in itself because Brandeberry, a senior who is suffering from several injuries, played only as long as it took him to make the shot – 14 seconds. He came out of the game to a nice ovation and put a cap on a memorable two-year PLU basketball career.
Leading 33-30 at the half, Pacific started pulling away in the opening minutes of the second half, eventually opening a 51-38 advantage on a three-pointer by Howe with 13:18 left in the game. Pacific Lutheran was able to whittle the deficit to six points, 57-51, on Victor Bull’s basket with 8:07 left, but it never got closer than that. PLU head coach Steve Dickerson pulled his other two seniors, point guard Landon Heidenreich and post Scott McDaniels, with 35 seconds left in the game. Heidenreich finished with 11 points, six assists and four steals, while McDaniels had eight points and five rebounds.

DRESSLER REACHES 500: Junior wing Josh Dressler needed 14 points against Pacific to become the 12th Lute to reach 500 points in a season, the first in nearly over 20 years, and the first to accomplish the feat in less than 25 games. Dressler’s 20.8 points per game were also the most for a Lute since the 1974-75 season, when Tony Hicks averaged 22.5. His outstanding season earned him honorable mention all-Northwest Conference recognition. With one year remaining in his PLU career, Dressler ranks 18th in school history with 1150 career points.

SENIOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: With the 2007-08 season coming to a close, the Lutes bid farewell to three seniors: wing Jared Brandeberry, post Scott McDaniels and point guard Landon Heidenreich. Brandeberry fought injuries all season to play in 15 games, averaging nearly 20 minutes and 9.7 points per game. McDaniels earned second-team all-Northwest Conference honors, ranking eighth in the conference with 17.0 points per game and leading the league with 8.4 rebounds per game. Beyond Dressler’s historic scoring this season, McDaniels’ 409 points and 17.0 scoring average were the most for a Lute since 1997-98, when Seth Albright scored 17.5 points per game for a total of 454. Heidenreich averaged 9.5 points and 5.25 assists per game, the latter ranking fourth in the NWC. Heidenreich’s 1.46 steals per game ranked fifth in the conference and his 2.42 assist/turnover ratio ranked second.

A RECORD-SETTING SEASON: In spite of the late-season struggles that dropped the team to its sixth straight losing season, the 2008 team set numerous offensive school records. In a December 5th game against Division II Saint Martin’s, Josh Dressler scored 38 points on 12-21 shooting and 8-14 on three pointers. At the time, Dressler established a career high and tied for sixth place on the PLU all-time single game scoring list. On December 28, however, Dressler took his scoring to a new level in breaking the single-game scoring record by tallying 48 points on 13-27 shooting, with six assists and five rebounds in a double overtime 115-108 victory over Ramapo (N.J.). Ramapo’s 108 points set a school record for highest losing score by an opponent. The Lutes scored 100+ points in three straight games between January 5th and 12th, defeating Lewis & Clark, 108-95, and Willamette 106-88, and losing in a double overtime thriller at Puget Sound, 125-116. It was the first time since the 1971-72 season that a PLU team had accomplished such a feat, and only the second time in school history. Against Lewis & Clark, PLU scored 68 points in the second half to set a school record for points in a half. In the Puget Sound game, Scott McDaniels set a new school record for field goals in a game, making 18 of 24 shots for a total of 41 points. The combined score of 241 points was also the most in PLU history, and the Lutes’ 116 points were the most ever in a losing effort. Scott McDaniels and Josh Dressler earned Northwest Conference player of the week honors twice each, giving the Lutes four such awards this season alone after earning only three in the previous eight seasons combined.

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