This Week
Friday, Jan. 22, Pacific Boxers (8-7/2-4 NWC) vs. Lewis & Clark Pioneers (7-7/3-3)
Stoller Center, Forest Grove, Ore, 8 p.m.
All-Time Series: Pioneers lead, 74-35. L&C has won last 17 games in the series.
 
Saturday, Jan. 23, Pacific Boxers vs. Linfield Wildcats (7-8/1-5)
Stoller Center, Forest Grove, Ore., 6 p.m.
All-Time Series: Linfield leads 72-32, but Pacific has won the last six games.
 
The Boxers look to get back on track in the friendly confines of their own Stoller Center this weekend when they host Lewis & Clark and Linfield. The Boxers have dropped four straight Northwest Conference contests and are now 8-7 overall and 2-4 in league play.
 
Tough times in Tacoma: Pacific's weekend trip to Tacoma to take on Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran didn't go as mapped. The Boxers dropped both conference games to the Loggers and Lutes respectively, and cold shooting was in part to blame. On Friday (Jan. 15) at UPS, Pacific hit just 34 percent of its shots from the field and bottomed out only four of 20 three-point attempts in a 77-49 loss. On Saturday, Pacific shot a little better (40%) but it wasn't until later in the contest when the verdict was already settled during a 73-61 Lute win.
 
Harrison's hot weekend: Junior guard K.C. Harrison was an offensive bright spot, leading the Boxers in scoring both nights. He had 11 points at Puget Sound and then scored 21 points against PLU. 12 of his points against the Lutes came from beyond the arch, where he hit four of seven attempts. Counting a 23-point outburst that he had against Whitman on Jan. 9, he has averaged 18.5 points in his last three starts.
 
Home sweet home: The Boxers are happy to return to the Stoller Center and The Boxer Den. Pacific is 6-2 in Forest Grove this year, losing only to nationally ranked Whitworth (No. 1) and Whitman (No. 21).
 
Chairmen of the Boards: Despite not having a player over 6'6", the Boxers have controlled the backboards so far this season. On the season they have a +12.0 advantage over their opponents, tops in the NWC. Skyler Burgess leads the team with 7.8 rebounds a contest and Michael Joseph is right behind him at 6.7. Nate Olowo adds 6.3 boards a game.
 
Stat sheet: In last week's NCAA stat list, the Boxers were second nationally in rebound margin. In the Northwest Conference, DeVon Pouncey is third in field goal accuracy (.604), while Skyler Burgess is fifth in that same category (.582), fourth in rebounds per game (7.8) and fourth in blocked shots (1.0).
 
Boxer Balance: Pacific's attack through 15 games shows a balanced stat sheet. Four players average in double figures for the Boxers, and only 3.2 points per game separate the leading scorer from the fourth. Additionally, a fifth player sits at 9.4 ppg. K.C. Harrison checks in at 13.3 points a game and a team-best 39 assists, Skyler Burgess is next at 11.4 points per game, a team-best 7.8 rebounds and 15 blocked shots. DeVon Pouncey averages 10.1, Michael Joseph adds 9.4 points, 6.7 rebounds a contest and a team-leading 22 steals. Bobby Ahern (currently injured) averages 10.2 an outing.
 
Cleary Capsule: Pacific head coach Tim Cleary is now in his sixth season in Forest Grove. Boise State's former top assistant coach is now 64-76 on the Boxer sidelines, leading Pacific to back-to-back winning seasons in 2012-13 and 2013-14—and then just missed last year when his team finished 12-13. Pacific went 15-10 three seasons ago and 16-9 in '13-14.
 
Probable Starters: Coach Clearly likely will send this group to the floor this weekend when the starters are announced.
*G—#2 K.C. Harrison (6-2, 185, Jr., Las Vegas, Nev./Grays Harbor JC)
*G—#22 Michael Joseph (6-1, 205, Jr., Anchorage, Alaska/Columbia Basin JC)
*G—#4 D.J. Christian (5-11, 185, Jr., East Atlanta, Ga./Chemeketa CC)
*F—#23 Skyler Burgess (6-5, 215, Sr., Riverton, Utah/Treasure Valley JC)
*F—#44 Nate Olowo (6-6, 210, So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Alta Loma HS)
 
Skyler Skies to Honors: Senior forward Skyler Burgess was named the Northwest Conference Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week on Dec. 7 and was named to the D3Hoops.com Team of the Week on Dec. 8. In addition to 24 total rebounds in two wins, the 6-5 senior forward also scored 24 and 22 points respectively against Willamette and George Fox. In that process, he nailed 21 of 28 shots from the field (75 percent) and also had four assists and three blocked shots. Burgess is Pacific's second NWC honoree this season, as Michael Joseph also earned the honor on Nov. 11. The D3Hoops award is given to only five NCAA Division III players from across the country each week.
 
Pre-Season Look: Pre-season No. 3 nationally ranked Whitworth was the coach's pick to win the Northwest Conference again this season. The Pirates have won eight of the last nine league titles. The poll favored Whitworth, followed by Whitman, Lewis & Clark, Willamette, Puget Sound, Pacific, George Fox, Pacific Lutheran and Linfield. The current NWC standings can be found here.
http://www.nwcsports.com/sports/mbkb/2015-16/standings
 
Pioneer Pages: Lewis & Clark has won three games in a row and five of their last six contests, improving to 7-7 on the year and 3-3 in the Northwest Conference, after a 2-7 start. Included in those wins was a sweep last weekend of Pacific Lutheran (68-65) and Linfield (79-73). Cannen Roberson leads the Pios at 15.9 points a game (fourth in the NWC) and he also adds 5.4. rebounds a contest. Roberson (6-5, Jr., Stanwood, Wash.) is also fifth in the conference in three-point percentage (.457). Jason Luhnow (6-2, Sr., Lake Oswego), a Second Team All-NWC pick last year, contributes 15.6 points and 6.1 boards a game. Head coach Dinari Foreman is in his fifth season as the leader for the Pioneers but also spend over a decade as an assistant at L&C. Additionally, Foreman is a former NAIA All-American on the court for the Pioneers, averaging 25.7 ppg in 1994-95, second best in the nation. He is a member of the Lewis & Clark Athletic Hall of Fame. Last year, the Pioneers reached the NWC tournament final, falling to Whitworth.
 
Wildcat Words: Linfield snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday with a non-conference win at New Hope Christian (81-50) to improve to 7-8 overall. They are 1-5 in NWC play. The Wildcats started the season 4-0 but are just 3-8 since that hot beginning. Kyle Maloof (6-3, Jr., Claremont, Calif.), a transfer from Rio Hondo College leads the team with 13.1 points a game and 6.1 rebounds. Rookie Vince Romeo (5-10, Fr., Martinez, Calif.) adds 11.5 points an outing and has a team-best 30 assists. Shanan Rosenberg is in his third season on the Wildcat bench after an impressive 11-year run as the head coach at Foothill College, where he was 186-131.
 
Looking Ahead: After this weekends' games, the Boxers will begin the second half of Northwest Conference play, traveling to George Fox on January 29 and Willamette on the 30^th.
 
Watch and Listen: Pacific's NWC basketball games are streamed live at goboxers.com with Matt Richert handling the play-by-play. Additionally, tune in on Sunday evenings to listen to Coach Cleary on the Portland Metro Small College Hoops Podcast, hosted by Greg Crawford. The show begins at 9:30 p.m. and can be found at http://bit.ly/1x4RjqG.