Feb. 17, 2007

Boxers Beat Lutes, 89-77, in Season Finale

Game Statistics

Josh Dressler - leads Lutes with 17 points

Josh Vanlandingham - 16 points in finale

FOREST GROVE, Ore. - Pacific shot 63 percent from the field to beat Pacific Lutheran, 89-77, in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Pacific Athletic Center.

The Boxers outlasted the Lutes in what started as an offensive slugfest as the two teams combined to make 39 shots in the opening period. Pacific built its difference in the second, however, as the Lutes cooled to 26 percent from the field and finished shooting 41 percent (27-of-66) for the contest.

The Lutes finished tied for sixth in the NWC standings at 6-10, and they were 9-14 overall, a four-win improvement over each of the last two seasons. With the victory, the Boxers finished in sole possession of fourth place in the NWC standings with an 8-8 record after finishing seventh the year before. Pacific's 12-13 record is also their best since the 1999-2000 season.

Josh Dressler led five PLU players in double figures with 17 points. Josh Vanlandingham, a senior playing his final game at PLU, finished with 16 and Landon Heidenreich added 15. Jared Brandeberry scored 12 and Scott McDaniels finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Ross Bartlett led the Pacific charge, going off for 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Donnie Harrison-Davis connected for 23 points and Kyle Motta finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. In all, the three accounted for all but the 14 of the Boxers' total points.

Both teams came out of the gate on fire as both the Boxers and Lutes canned eight of their first 11 attempts from the field. Pacific built the biggest lead of the first half, 17-11, on Ryan Turcott's trey at the 15:48 mark, and held a 51-47 halftime lead.

Pacific stayed hot in the second half while the Lutes came out cold. Motta scored eight points in the first six minutes, pacing a 12-2 run to open the stanza and built a 63-49 lead. Vanlandingham kept the Lutes close by scoring three straight three-pointers. The final trey brought PLU within 10, 70-60, with 10:49 remaining, but the Lutes would make only one
more field goal over the next five minutes and only three more the rest of the game.

(Courtesy Pacific Sports Information Office)