PARKLAND – Pacific Lutheran rallied back from a double-digit deficit to tie it up in the final minutes, but Puget Sound made a key three-pointer and the Loggers hit four free throws in the final minute to take a 61-54 Northwest Conference men's basketball rivalry win Tuesday night at Names Family Court.
Pacific Lutheran falls to 5-14 overall and 3-7 in conference play with the loss, while Puget Sound improves to 10-8 overall and 5-5 in the NWC. The Lutes host Lewis & Clark Friday at 8 p.m. and close out a three-game week on Saturday when George Fox comes to town for a 6 p.m. tipoff.
Dylan Foreman scored 14 points to lead the Lutes and added a team-best four assists and two steals. He tied Austen Trent Wilson with six rebounds. Brandon Lester tallied 11 points for PLU. Nick Holden scored a game-high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Loggers, while James Osorio tallied 13 points.
The first half featured three tie scores and four lead changes. Puget Sound used a 10-1 run midway through the period to take a nine-point lead. Foreman ended the run with a three-pointer before Keith Shattuck matched it on the other end. Pacific Lutheran drew back to within four in the final minutes of the period, with a Kevin McCrossin three-pointer making it 32-28 UPS with 1:26 to play before halftime. Holden hit a three with 14 seconds to go to send the Loggers into the break with a 35-28 advantage.
Puget Sound maintained its lead through the first six minutes of the second period and extended the advantage to a game-high 12 points at 45-33 with 13:35 to play. Terrell Williams sparked a PLU comeback with five straight points, scoring on back-to-back layups and adding an "and-one" free throw on the second. Bryce Miller followed with a layup to make it a five-point game before Erin Barber ended the run on a three-pointer for the Loggers.
PLU continued to battle back, as McCrossin hit a three-pointer to again make it a five-point deficit at 48-43 midway through the period and Lester followed with a layup to bring the Lutes within one possession. The Loggers held off the Lute rally for several more minutes before PLU finally tied it at 52-52 on a three-pointer by Lester with 3:35 remaining.
With the game tied up at 54-54, Barber dropped another three to push the Loggers back on top going into the final minute. The Lutes missed a potential game-tying three, and after consecutive Lute layup attempts missed the Loggers got the rebound with 31 seconds to play. Matt Reid and Osorio each made a pair of free throws to close out the rivalry win for the Loggers.
Puget Sound shot 40.5 percent overall in the game (17-of-42), while Pacific Lutheran shot 39.6 percent (21-of-53). The Lutes finished with 11 more shot attempts, but the Loggers had 16 more free throw attempts and 13 more makes at the charity stripe than PLU. Both teams finished with nine turnovers, and the Lutes ended the night with a slim 31-30 rebounding advantage.
