PORTLAND – Pacific Lutheran flowed steadily on offense and took Lewis & Clark out of its shooting rhythm defensively to secure a 65-59 Northwest Conference men's basketball win Friday night.
The Lutes left Portland with their third consecutive Northwest Conference victory and improve to 7-11 overall, 4-5 in NWC. The game was closely contested throughout, but late-game resilience kept the hosts at bay and allowed PLU to split the season series with the Pioneers.
Terrell Williams canceled out a game-opening three-point basket by Lewis & Clark's Quentin Sims, and the Lutes didn't surrender the lead for the duration of the game. PLU played a balanced game on both offensive and defensive ends of the court, outshooting and outrebounding the hosts. Brandon Lester led the Lutes with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Daniel Landram registered 10 points to round off a PLU backcourt scoring effort. Bryce Miller played a solid game down low, tallying a double-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
Pacific Lutheran took several high-percentage shots and connected on key baskets in the first half, which included a 14-4 run during a five-minute span. Lewis & Clark attempted to keep pace offensively from beyond the arc, but the Pios only managed a 3-13 effort from long-range. An Arvid Isaksen three-pointer midway through the first half put the Lutes at their largest lead of the night at 21-11, but after trading scores heading into the break, Lewis & Clark cut the Lute lead to 33-25 at half.
Sims came out of the locker room shooting to open up the second half, cutting the margin to four before an Austen Wilson jump shot and a pair of Landram free throws kept PLU in front. The Pioneers were ignited by Justin Leathers' 12 second-half points to keep the comeback effort alive, but the PLU offense was able to respond from all positions on the court.
The Lutes re-opened a 10-point lead after an Isaksen free throw with 2:07 to play, but the hosts didn't fade away. The Pios scored four quick points to keep it a two-possession game with a minute to play. An Erik Swartout free throw put the lead at 64-56 with 19 seconds remaining, but L&C answered immediately with a Serg Ovchinnikov three-pointer with 16 seconds left. PLU dodged a turnover on the ensuing inbound, but Johnny Tveter collected an Ovchinnikov miss from deep and hit one of his two free throws after getting fouled with seconds left to secure the victory.
The Lutes shot an efficient 45 percent from the field to Lewis & Clark's 34.5 percent, which included a cold 5-for-23 from three-point territory. The rebounding margin was 36-34 in favor of the Lutes. Pacific Lutheran returns to action Saturday night at George Fox, with tipoff set for 8 p.m.
