by Joe Rayburn, Sports Information Student Assistant
PARKLAND – Pacific Lutheran surged late to make it a two-point game in the final minutes, but cross-town rival Puget Sound held off the rally to defeat the Lutes 61-57 in Northwest Conference men's basketball action Tuesday night at Names Family Court.
With the loss, PLU moves to 7-15 overall and 4-9 in NWC play while UPS improves to 12-10 overall and 8-5 in NWC. Pacific Lutheran returns to NWC action Friday against Pacific for the final home game of the 2013-14 season. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m., with Senior Day festivities schedule to take place prior to the game.
Offense was lacking from both sides in the opening minutes, but the Loggers opened on a 14-5 run in the first nine minutes of play. PLU's Seth Anderson and Andrew Alness answered a Keith Shattuck three-point jump shot with a pair of baskets to cut the Logger lead to five with 5:31 to play in the opening period, but Puget Sound held a six-point advantage going into halftime at 29-23.
Brandon Lester opened up the second-half scoring with a three-point jumper to bring the Lutes within one possession, and both sides began trading scores for the first four minutes of the half. Freshman Billy Kiel made an immediate impact for PLU, coming off the bench to knock down a three-pointer with 9:52 remaining to cut the UPS lead to 44-42.
After a pair of James Osorio free-throws on the other end, Kiel responded with another deep ball to bring the Lutes within one with just over nine minutes remaining. However, the Loggers countered with an 8-2 run, and it took PLU until the final minutes to again pull within one possession. Brandon Lester hit a jumper with just under two minutes to play to make it 56-54, but the Lutes could not convert a pair of attempts to tie or take the lead, and the Loggers made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 16 seconds to secure the victory.
Lester led all scorers with 16 points, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, which continues his conference leading three-point shooting percentage. Kiel finished with 11 points off the bench, and Bryce Miller finished up with six points and six rebounds. Erin Barber posted a double-double for UPS with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Rex Nelson scored 12 points and Dan Cheledinas added 10.
The Lutes out-rebounded their rivals 43-38, but the largest statistical margin was at the free-throw line, with the Loggers shooting 22-of-29 from the line while PLU only managed a 9-of-12 effort.
