Box Score PORTLAND – The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team led by as many as 20 points in the first half in its league-opening game and held on for a 71-63 victory over Lewis & Clark College.

"Tonight we showed some flashes of who we can become in terms of our defensive energy and effort along with our rebounding and offensive execution," said PLU Head Coach Chad Murray.  "I thought we put a lot together in the first half.  In the second, we withstood their initial run and got it to 17 and then unfortunately regressed a bit as the half wore on.  I think we got fatigued, but we managed to hang on with some big plays by Seth Hall and Jordan Thomas to hold them off."  
 
The Lutes (4-2, 1-0 NWC) earned the wire-to-wire victory on Friday night and led by double digits for the majority of the evening.  The visitors look poised to run away with the game as they led by 20 with 2:30 left in the first half, but the Pioneers scored the final seven points of the first half and the first three of the second for a 10-0 run.    
 
PLU continued to lead by 10 with 5:23 left in the game, but Lewis & Clark cut the lead all the way down to just two, 63-61.  Seth Hall scored the final eight points for the Lutes over the final 2:03 to withstand the home rally. 
 
Hall had game-highs in points (27) and rebounds (10) to produce a double-double.  Sean McCurdy added 13 points and nine boards, while Jordan Thomas and Tyler Ashmore each had 10.  Thomas added eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block for another all-around performance.  Defensively, the Lutes held the Pioneers to just 35.9 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded them 49-33. 
 
The Lutes will look to start off Northwest Conference season 2-0 when they head to Pacific University tomorrow night for a 6:00 p.m. tip-off with the Boxers.