OPENING UP NWC PLAY
While they experience the agony of defeat for the first time this season in a loss last week, the Puget Sound Loggers refocused quickly as they prepare to open Northwest Conference play on Friday night at Pacific.
The Loggers vs. Edgewood
Junior Robert Krauel (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) came off the bench to score 26 and Antwan Williams (Portland, Ore./Madison) added 21 as the 10th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers defeated the Edgewood (Wis.) Eagles, 93-80, in a NCAA Division III men's basketball game on Friday at the Tom Byron Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Loggers (7-0) got off to a quick start, going on a 7-0 run to open the game. The Eagles (3-6) eventually got on the scoreboard but the Loggers headed into the halftime break with a 48-31 advantage.
In the second half, Edgewood chipped away at the Puget Sound lead, getting within two points, 68-66, with 6:14 remaining in the game. The Loggers then began to pull away, regaining the double-digit lead with 3:50 to play and the Eagles had nothing left in the gas tank as Puget Sound recorded the 93-80 victory.
Krauel led all scorers with his 26 points, adding seven rebounds in 26 minutes played. Williams had six assists to go with his 21 points. Senior Taylor Marsh (Lynnwood, Wash./Meadowdale) chipped in 13 points as the Loggers improved to 7-0 on the season.
Edgewood was led in scoring by Chris DeMarco, who chalked up 24 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Charlie Averkamp added 15 points while Aaron Ritschard and John Schuster scored 12 points each.
The Loggers vs. Westmont
Juniors Robert Krauel (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) and Antwan Williams (Portland, Ore./Madison) picked up all-tournament honors but the 10th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers fell for the first time in 2007-08, falling to the host Westmont Warriors, 78-75, in the championship game of the Tom Byron Classic on Saturday night in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Loggers (7-1) found themselves in unfamiliar territory in the first half, trailing by as many as eight points with 2:37 remaining in the first half. Westmont (6-4) took a 69-67 lead into the break.
In the second period, the Loggers clawed their way back, trading the lead with Westmont for much of the period. Puget Sound took a four-point lead as late as 7:38 remaining in the period but less-than-ideal shooting from the charity stripe prevented them from putting the Warriors away and Westmont took advantage to take the 78-75 victory.
The Loggers were led by 14 points and six rebounds from Weston Wood (Spokane, Wash./Riverside). Williams finished with 13 points to go with six assists and two steals while Jason Foster (Tacoma, Wash./Foss) added 12 points and six boards in the loss. Taylor Marsh (Lynnwood, Wash./Meadowdale) also finished with 12 points, all from behind the arc, while Krauel finished the contest with 11 points off the bench. The Loggers shot 42.9% from the field but they were just 13-of-21 (61.9%) on free throws.
Westmont was led by 20 points from tournament MVP Dan Rasp. Nasa Sete finished with 19 points after spending most of the second half in foul trouble. The Warriors shot 50.0% from the field and made 78.6% of free throw opportunities to hand the Loggers their first loss of the season.
Statistically Speaking
The Loggers lead the Northwest Conference in scoring offense (99.0 ppg), field goal percentage (.502), three-point field goal percentage (.411), steals (13.13 spg), turnover margin (+9.50), and three-point field goals made (10.63 3pg).
Antwan Williams' 19.4 ppg is third in the conference in scoring but he leads the conference in assists (7.13 apg) and steals (3.00 spg). Austin Boyce is coming off the bench to lead the NWC in field goal percentage (.625).
On the national stage, in game through 12/16, the Loggers led the nation in scoring margin (+24.5), were fifth in scoring offense, seventh in three-point field goals per game, 10th in field goal percentage,11th in steals per game, and 17th in three-point field goal percentage.
Individually, Antwan Williams is seventh in assists per game (7.5) and Taylor Marsh is ninth in three-point field goals per game (3.8 3pg).
Among The Nation's Best
The Loggers held steady in the D3Hoops.com Top 25, holding down the 10th spot for the third straight week.
Chasing 1,000
The Loggers have three players who could score their 1,000th point the maroon and white this season, including a pair of juniors. Senior Taylor Marsh has scored 763 points in 85 games played for the Loggers and would have to average 14.81 ppg the rest of the way to reach 1,000 points by the end of the season.
Junior guard Antwan Williams has 779 points in 61 games and would have to average 13.81 ppg the rest of the way to reach 1,000 by the end of the year. Also a junior, Jason Foster has 813 points in 60 games, including 59 started, and he would have to average 11.67 ppg to reach 1,000 this season.
Scouting Pacific
The Boxers, who open up NWC play on Wednesday at Lewis & Clark, head into 2008 with a record of 2-7 overall. They earned an overtime win over Northwest Christian on Nov. 27 and then defeated La Sierra on Dec. 18. Maurice Ross leads the Boxers offense, averaging 14.8 ppg, while Joe Van Domelen and Garold Howe are adding 11.0 and 10.4 ppg and 6.7 and 6.6 rpg respectively.
Scouting George Fox
The Bruins come into the weekend with a record of 4-5 overall, carrying a two-game losing streak. They've played their opponents evenly this year, averaging 64.3 ppg on offense and allowing 65.1 ppg on defense for a -0.8 differential. Evan Atwater leads the GFU offense with 15.6 ppg and Brent Satern is adding 13.8 ppg. Mark Metzler has been cleaning up the glass, averaging 5.9 rpg.
The Coach
Justin Lunt enters his second season as head coach of the Logger men's basketball program. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran, Lunt is a native of San Diego, Calif. Heading into this weekend, Lunt now has a career record of 25-8, including 11-5 in the Northwest Conference.
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