By Christian Bond, PLU Sports Information Student Writer
SALEM – Strong shooting performances from three-point range (46.7 percent) and the free throw line (85.7 percent helped the Pacific Lutheran men's basketball team overcome a 13 point first half deficit to defeat Willamette 77-67 Saturday night at Cone Field House.
Brandon Lester made all eight of his free throw attempts to score a game-best 24 points, while Dylan Foreman scored 20 and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lutes. Lester and Foreman attacked the basket, getting to the free throw line a combined 15 times and converting 14 of those attempts. They also had success from long-range, shooting a combined 6-of- 12 from the three-point arc.
"They stepped up big," PLU head coach Steve Dickerson said. "We didn't play very well in the first half. Lester, Foreman, Bryce Miller and Jared Christy all played well and helped us win."
Miller continued his strong early-season play with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go with nine rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Christy grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds and added eight points while coming off the bench to play 24 minutes.
PLU overcame 19 turnovers in the win, thanks in large part to the Lutes' shooting performance at the charity stripe and the three-point line. PLU shot 7-of-15 from long-distance and made 24 of 28 free throw attempts to go with a 37.1 overall shooting percentage (23-of-62).
"We feel good about it," Dickerson said of winning despite the turnovers. "In the past we would have lost this game. Sometimes the process of becoming a winner takes a while, and I think our guys are headed in that direction."
The Lutes out-rebounded the Bearcats 51-34. This led to an advantage in second-chance points for the Lutes, as they had 12 to Willamette's four. The Bearcats came out hot and built a 13-point lead at 24-11 midway through the first half, but a pair of Foreman free throws began a seven-point PLU run and the Lutes tied it at 30-30 on free throws by Miller before halftime. The Lutes continued that run in the final minute of the period, scoring the final four points to go up 34-30 at the break.
Willamette kept it close for most of the second half until a three-pointer by Foreman put PLU up 68-62 with less than three minutes to go. Lester followed with two free throws to put the Lutes up by eight and PLU closed out the 10-point win at the free throw line. Brandon Luedtke led the Bearcats with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Brendon McCullough had 14 points for Willamette.
The Lutes improve to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Northwest Conference play, while Willamette falls to 1-6 overall and 2-0 in the NWC. PLU travels to Northwest for a non-conference game Tuesday at 7 p.m.
"We need to play better," Dickerson said. "It will give us a chance to test some things and see where we are at for the future."
