Boxers Blister The Nets In 89-74 Victory Over Puget Sound
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FOREST GROVE – Pacific proved to be a can't miss proposition Saturday night, blistering the nets for 57 percent from the field and 52 percent from three-point range to roll past Puget Sound, 89-74, in Northwest Conference men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
The Boxers' offense proved steadily hot all night, shooting 57 percent in both halves and finished by hitting 27 of 47 from the field. Pacific was just as hot from outside, making 10 of 19 from three-point range and also canned 25 free throws.
Danny Brakebush (Fr., Portland, Ore.) led five Pacific players to score in double figures, finishing with 23 points on 7 of 12 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range.
Colin Wester (Sr., Sherwood, Ore.) added 16 points, nine of which came from the free throw line, while
Daniel Zitani (Jr., Oakland, Calif.) came off the bench to score 15 to go along with six rebounds.
Andrew Beatty (Sr., Lakewood, Wash.) added 13 off the bench while
Charles Mosley (Sr., Hillsboro, Ore.) scored 10 points and had six rebounds. Pacific (9-6, 3-3 NWC) outrebounded the Loggers 35-28.
Rex Holmes led Puget Sound with 17 points. Ryan Rogers added 16 points and Derek Jobe scored 12. The Loggers finished the night shooting 39.3 percent from the field (22-56) and just 4 of 17 from three-point range, but finished connecting on 26 of 35 from the free throw line.
Contrary to the final score, it was the Loggers (6-11, 1-7 NWC) that opened the evening with the lead, using pressure defense to build an 11-5 lead on Gabe Borboa's jumper at the 16:31 mark. Beatty's three-pointer on the next possession opened a 12-2 run that gave the Boxers the lead for good and built a 17-13 lead on Zitani's three with 14 minutes left.
Puget Sound kept the game close and were within 24-22 when Zitani's short-range jumper sparked a 7-0 run that gave the Boxers a nine-point lead, 31-22, on a pair of Wester free throws. The Loggers managed to cut the deficit to four points on Derek Jobe's trey with 4:21 left, but the Boxers outscored the Loggers 10-4 the rest of the half to take a 46-36 lead into the half.
Pacific extended the lead to 13 points early in the second half, going ahead 53-40 on Mosley's three-pointer three minutes into the stanza. Puget Sound responded with an 8-0 run over the next three minutes, closing the deficit to 53-48 on a pair of Holmes' free throws with 14:43 to play. Pacific's lead was six when Zitani's jumper with 11:22 left sparked a 14-1 run, which culminated on
Cameron Hayes' (Jr., Milton, Wash.) breakaway dunk with 7:52 to go that gave Pacific their biggest lead of 19 points, 74-55. Puget Sound would not come closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
Pacific now prepares for a rare week of three NWC games to finish off the first half of the league schedule and begin the second. The Boxers play at George Fox on Tuesday and Willamette on Friday before returning home on Saturday to host the Bruins. Tuesday's game begins at 7 p.m. and can be heard via a live audio webcast at goboxers.com.
Puget Sound returns home to host Whitworth on Friday and Whitman on Saturday.
