TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team showed it is one of the hottest teams in the Northwest Conference on Friday night in Olson Gymnasium. The Lutes shot a blistering 52 percent from the three-point line and hit 7-of-11 in the second half to rally for an 88-83 victory over Lewis and Clark College.
"We didn't completely solve the Lewis and Clark puzzle defensively, especially Zeke Crawford, who absolutely had his way with us, but for a stretch there, at a critical point in a tight, second half, we were able to piece together some stops and get some timely shooting by Leighton (Kingma), Seth (Hall) and Jacob (Bingham) that allowed us to create some space on the scoreboard," said PLU Head Coach
Chad Murray. "I was so proud of the way they bounced back and found a way to scratch out a big win down the stretch."
Trailing 46-42 at halftime, the Lutes (8-8, 4-3 NWC) and more specifically junior guard
Seth Hall caught fire in the second half. Hall poured in 18 of his 23 points in the second stanza and the Lutes hit five consecutive three-pointers over a two-minute stretch to erase a five-point deficit and claim a 63-60 lead with 9:50 left on the clock.
The visiting Pioneers (6-10, 2-5 NWC) didn't go away without a fight though, as they scored six of the next eight points to retake a one-point advantage, 66-65. A three-pointer from senior
Leighton Kingma, who scored a team-high 25 points, with 6:48 remaining broke the game's fifth tie and gave the Lutes a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Lewis and Clark continued to keep things close until the game's final moments, but senior
Conor Geiger answered the bell down the stretch. Leading by just two with 1:23 on the clock, Geiger drilled his only field goal of the game to push the lead back to five. With two seconds remaining and PLU up by three, Geiger calmly iced the game with two free throws to preserve the victory.
Kelton Williams was the only other Lute to reach double figures as he finished with 11 points and four assists. Thomas played a solid all-around game with nine points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal. Offensively, Kingma and Hall combined to make 18-of-23 field goals on the evening and hit a total of eight threes.
Zeke Crawford was the player of the game for the Pioneers. The big man scored a game-high 30 points on 15-for-19 shooting and pulled down 16 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Lutes will look to get above .500 and extend their winning streak to five games when they host Pacific University tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m.
