Jan. 20, 2007

McDaniels Carries Load as Lutes Defeat Pacific, 69-67

Scott McDaniels - 27 points, 17 rebounds

Lawrence Brooks - 12 points

Game Statistics

TACOMA, Wash. – Scott McDaniels had his best game as a collegian, scoring 27 points and grabbing 17 rebounds as Pacific Lutheran rallied late to defeat the visiting Pacific Boxers, 69-67, in a Northwest Conference men’s basketball game in Olson Auditorium.

McDaniels, a junior post from Eastlake High School in Sammamish, was particularly effective in the second half, scoring 19 of his points as the Lutes improved their conference record to 4-4 and their overall mark to 7-8.

Pacific, which had its three-game win streak ended on Friday night by Linfield, lost for the second straight time and is now 4-4 in the conference and 8-8 for the season.

The Boxers, who rallied from a 10-2 deficit six minutes into the game, stretched their 31-29 halftime lead into a 43-34 lead with 14:19 left to play. Jesse Wong played a big role in the surge with six straight points.

Pacific Lutheran slowly whittled away at its deficit and, trailing 47-39, went on a 13-2 run to take the lead at 52-49 with 8:03 on the clock. Lawrence Brooks, who had a big game off the bench with 12 points, scored three points while McDaniels hit three layups to spur the charge.

The Boxers eventually regained the lead, 58-56, on Ross Bartlett’s basket with 5:21 left, and they still held a 65-64 lead when Brooks hit the biggest shot of the night, finding a way through the defense and scoring on a layup with one minute to play. Jared Brandeberry hit two free throws and McDaniel added one more in the final minute, and that provided enough cushion to balance out a game-closing layup by Bartlett.

McDaniels, who came into the game averaging 8.6 points on 46 percent shooting, made 10-of-12 from the field and 7-of-12 from the free throw line. He tripled his 5.8 rebound average by grabbing five rebounds on offense and 12 on the defensive end.

Josh Vanlandingham added 14 points for the Lutes, who won despite hitting 40 percent from the field, 22 percent from the three-point line and 54 percent from the charity stripe. They did take care of the ball, however, committing just eight turnovers.

Bartlett had a strong game for the Boxers, leading his team with 21 points and eight rebounds. Donnie Harrison-Davis added 12 points for Pacific, which like PLU shot poorly from the field. The Boxers hit just 41 percent from the floor and 27 percent from beyond the three-point line.

- PLU -