Wester's Big Night Not Enough For Comeback
Box Score
SALEM, Ore. – A monster 37-point night for Colin Wester (So., Sherwood, Ore.) was not enough to complete a comeback from 18 points down Saturday night as Pacific fell to Willamette 80-76 in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Cone Field House.
Wester's performance was the most for a Pacific player in well over a decade. He finished shooting 13 of 23 from the field and 5 of 10 from three-point range, with four of those coming in the first 10 minutes of the game. The effort was not enough to complete a comeback for the Boxers (3-18, 2-10 NWC) that saw them bounce back from 18 points down early in the second half to within one with 19 seconds to go.
Wester was the only Pacific player in double figures as the Boxers shot 41.9 percent for the game (26-62) and out-rebounded the Bearcats 41-38. LeMar Anglin (Sr., Chicago, Ill.), Charles Mosley (So., Hillsboro, Ore.) and Cameron Hayes (Fr., Milton, Wash.) each finished with eight.
Ryan Meehan and Taylor Mounts each scored 19 points to lead a balanced Willamette (6-15, 3-9 NWC) scoring attack. Robbie Kunke added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Terrell Malley scored 11. Willamette shot 42.9 percent from the field (27-63) and went 11 of 25 from three-point range.
After a close five minutes to the game, the Bearcats went up seven points, 27-20, on a Mounts free throw at the 11:07 mark. Pacific reduced the edge to five points on a Zach Barckmann (Jr., Wilsonville, Ore.) free throw with 4:18 left before Kunke's lay-in started a 16-5 run to close the half. Malley closed the stanza with a three-pointer with four seconds left to give Willamette a 46-30 halftime lead.
Willamette opened the second half by building their biggest lead of 18 points on a pair of Kunke free throw shots. The lead was 16 when Wester connected to start a 17-3 run, culminating on Hayes' three-pointer to bring the Boxers within two, 53-51, at the 14:03 mark. The Boxers kept the Bearcats within eight points the rest of the way and eventually narrowed the gap to one on Mosley's lay-in with 5:59 left.
The Bearcats built the lead back to five before two Andrew Beatty (Jr., Lynnwood, Wash.) lay-ups brought the Boxers back to within one with 19 seconds to go. Forced to foul, the Boxers still had life when Mounts hit just one of two free throws. Pacific committed a turnover on their next possession, though, and Trevor Bos hit two charity shots with five seconds left to secure the win.
Pacific continues a three-game road trip next weekend, traveling to Lewis & Clark on Friday and Linfield on Saturday.
