by Joe Rayburn, Sports Information Student Assistant

PARKLAND – A "good shooting night" would be an understatement for describing Pacific Lutheran's 76-56 Northwest Conference men's basketball win against Willamette Saturday night at Names Family Court.

Try phenomenal.

The Lutes connected on shots from all over the floor to run the Bearcats out of the gym, going 60 percent from beyond the arc (12-20) and posting an overall efficiency of 50.1 percent from the field. It was an offensive pace that the visitors simply could not match, and PLU held home court over the weekend to take two much-needed wins and improve its overall record to 6-11 (3-5 in NWC).

"We had an excellent weekend," PLU assistant coach Marc Callero said. "Obviously getting two wins was very, very nice; we needed those two wins."

Brandon Lester had his second consecutive strong night, getting things started with a three-pointer to begin the scoring and finishing with a career-best 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting (6-of-9 from beyond the arc). That follows a 5-of-9 performance from three-point range on Friday, when he scored 16 points to lead the Lutes.

After the Lutes took the early lead, they didn't look back. The PLU backcourt duo of Lester and Terrell Williams equaled the first-half scoring output of Willamette, with Lester hitting three deep-balls (13 points) and Williams adding two of his own (10 points) before the break. Erik Swartout helped keep a 13-5 scoring run and momentum for PLU going at the 6:03 mark, when he knocked down a three-point jump shot while getting fouled to set up the rare four-point play. The Lutes led the visitors 34-23 at the break.

Both sides traded baskets to open up the second half, and an Alex Hansen three-pointer cut the Pacific Lutheran lead to 10 five minutes into the period, but Lester answered with another three. A few minutes later the Lutes used a nine-point streak to wipe away any doubt.

Williams finished 7-of-10 from the field for 18 points. Bryce Miller battled down low for four points, but he pulled down seven rebounds and dished out a game-high five assists. All 16 PLU players in uniform had a chance to play in the game, with a total of 12 Lutes scoring at least one point.

"All the guys played really well," Callero said. "They played hard, and they really played cohesive tonight. Everyone got in; everyone contributed, which was a very good feeling."

Avery Manu led Willamette with 15 points, while Alex Hansen added 12. The loss dropped the Bearcats to 3-14 overall and 1-7 in conference play. Willamette turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 20 PLU points, while the Lutes finished with 15 assists and only eight turnovers.

Pacific Lutheran heads back on the road next week, opening the second round of NWC play with a trip to Portland to take on Lewis & Clark and George Fox.