PORTLAND – With 13 lead changes and six ties, the Pacific Lutheran University and Lewis & Clark College men's basketball teams were locked in a tight, 40-minute battle. However, it was the home team that prevailed 95-92 as the Lutes' postseason chances took a big blow on Friday night in Portland.
 
"Patrick was amazing tonight," said reigning NWC Coach of the Year Chad Murray. "We didn't have any answers for him. We tried different guys and he just had himself a great night. We just couldn't get the timely stops we needed to extend our lead. We certainly scored enough to win."
 
The Pioneers led by as many as 10 in the first half, and took an eight-point lead into the break, leading 38-30. PLU scored 62 points in the second half on a blistering 69 percent shooting, but it wasn't enough to overcome Lewis & Clark's Brenden Patrick, who poured in 43 points on the night. PLU took its first lead since it led, 5-4, in the opening minutes of the game, with 12:33 left at 53-51. The two teams would trade baskets for almost the rest of the game until Patrick scored six straight points with 1:50 left to stretch the home lead to seven.
 
"While I'm extremely disappointed in the result, I'm really proud of the fight we showed in the second half to take the lead on multiple occasions," said Murray. "These guys are a blast to coach. Jackson, Sam, Sean, and Shane had some really good spurts for us. I didn't think we were able to establish Bradin enough and had a hard time getting him the ball for various reasons. We will bounce back. This season is all about adversity and how we respond to it. I expect we'll be really fired up to play tomorrow night."
 
The Lutes (11-11, 5-8 NWC) had all five starters reach double figures, but were led by Sam Noland's 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Jackson Reisner added 21 with all five of his field goals coming from beyond the arc. Not known for his scoring, Shane McGaughey-Fick pumped in 17 while Sean McCurdy battled foul trouble to add 14 points and 10 rebounds. Bradin Riedel added 10 points.
 
PLU will continue its weekend tomorrow at Willamette University at 6:00 p.m.