TACOMA, Wash.-- The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team erased a 15-point deficit and pulled away in the second half, closing out its four-game homestand in style with a 79-67 victory over Northwest Conference rival Pacific University inside Olson Gymnasium.

The Lutes (10-5, 3-3 NWC) outscored the Boxers 54-34 in the second half, shooting a blazing 62.1 percent (18-for-29) from the floor in the final 20 minutes while limiting the visitors to shooting just 32.3 percent (10-for-31).

The opening 16 minutes was all Pacific (8-7, 2-4 NWC) with the Boxers surging out to an early 30-15 lead. Pacific Lutheran whittled the gap down to just 10 on a Brandin Riedel layup with 4:04 left before halftime while a Riedel dunk with 19 ticks left saw the Lutes trail at the break 33-25.

An Ashton Rico layup with 17:49 left in the game touched off an 8-0 run with a Miles Nash layup putting the Lutes up 37-36 with 14:59 remaining. The lead would trade hands multiple times before a Jason Montes trey put PLU up 51-49 with 8:43 left. A lead of two would swell to as many as 14 on a Riedel layup with 4:08 remaining as the Lutes held on for the double-digit victory.

Brandin Riedel, Jason Montes, and Miles Nash all finished in double figures for the Lutes. Riedel paced the team with 21 points, draining nine of his 10 shots from the field while hauling in eight rebounds. Montes shot seven for nine from the floor and tallied 19 points and eight boards while Nash added 19 points, four assists, and four steals.

"Huge difference in energy in the second half for our team. I was really proud of the way they responded. Jason led the charge with an amazing few minutes that completely changed the momentum of the game," said Head Coach Chad Murray.

"We got great performances from Miles and Brandin and some timely shots by Jackson and Mack helped us get over the hump as well. Lastly Sam Noland was fantastic defensively against #30 for Pacific. He took on the challenge and did a great job."

PLU finished the night shooting 52.8 percent from the floor (28-for-53) while enjoying a 46-34 edge in points in the paint.

PLU treks to Walla Walla on Friday for a showdown with Whitman College. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.