TACOMA, Wash. – With the score tied at 72 and 6.8 seconds showing on the clock, senior guard
Seth Hall took the inbounds pass and weaved through four Pacific University defenders to lay in the game-winning basket with .7 seconds left to lift the Lutes to a, 74-72, Northwest Conference victory.
Trailing 36-28 at the half, the Lutes caught fire in the second, scoring 46 points and shooting 54 percent from the field. It took just 4:55 to erase the Boxer advantage in the second frame after
Jordan Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws and give the Lutes a 47-46 lead. The Boxers tied the score on three occasions, but the Lutes would never trail the rest of the way.
"I was really impressed with how we responded to the first half," said PLU Head Coach
Chad Murray. "We came out and were aggressive offensively and we had a chance to string some stops together to get us back in the game. We showed some grit and maturity throughout the second half."
Leading by just one with 45 seconds left, it was Hall who put the Lutes up by three with just 18 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, PLU fouled Jared Cattell on the game-tying three-point attempt and Cattell connected on all three freebies to set the stage for Hall's heroics.
Overall, the Lutes shot 51 percent from the field on the night and committed just five second-half turnovers. PLU dominated the boards, outrebounding Pacific 35-19.
Jordan Thomas produced a season-high 21 points to go six assists, two blocks and an emphatic one-handed slam.
Tyler Ashmore had 16 points, including three three-pointers and a team-high seven rebounds. Hall,
Brett Williams and
Sean McCurdy all had 11 as the Lutes used a balanced scoring attack for their second win this week.
"Individually, we got incredible performances from Brett on both ends of the floor, Tyler hit some big shots, Jordan, who really was good getting to the basket and chasing around their shooters and then of course Seth, who had to deal with all kinds of pressure, while also managing to hit a game-winner," said Murray.
The Lutes will look to remain perfect at home tomorrow night when they host Lewis & Clark College at 6:00 p.m.
