LOOKING FOR A PAIR OF W'S AT THE W'S
After a wacky week in the Northwest Conference play, the Loggers head into this weekend alone on top of the NWC standings. The road towards the postseason won't be made easier this week as they travel to Whitman and Whitworth for a pair of important games east of the Cascades.
The Loggers vs. Pacific Lutheran
Junior Antwan Williams (Portland, Ore./Madison) hit the game winner with just one second left in overtime as the 13th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers stopped the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, 98-97, in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Tuesday night at Olson Auditorium in Parkland, Wash.
In the first half, the Loggers (16-3, 9-2 NWC) and Lutes (10-9, 6-5 NWC) traded leads a few times as the Lutes took a 46-41 advantage into the break. The Loggers were plagued by just 28.6% shooting from behind the arc in the first period but kept it close by picking up 10 first-half points from Williams and Robert Krauel (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon).
In the second period, the Loggers took a one-point lead with 15:40 remaining on a monster dunk by Jason Foster (Tacoma, Wash./Foss). Puget Sound pushed the lead to seven with 8:36 remaining before the Lutes came back. With PLU briefly retaking the lead with 4:30 remaining, the Loggers again pushed the advantage, pulling ahead by four with 1:27 remaining. The Lutes again fought back and a free throw by Landon Heidenreich with 10 seconds remaining tied the game for a fourth time at 88-88.
In the overtime period, the teams traded leads a couple times before a pair of free throws by Kyle MacTaggart gave PLU a one point lead with 23 seconds remaining. On the final possession, Williams and the Loggers showed why they are the 13th-ranked team in the country, hitting the game-winner with one tick left on the clock to give UPS the one-point victory.
The Loggers were led by 26 points from Foster. Krauel added 25 points to go with eight boards while Williams wrapped up the contest with 20 points on the night, adding five assists and three steals. Taylor Marsh (Lynnwood, Wash./Meadowdale) chipped in 10 points in the win, going five-for-12 from the field.
The Lutes were led by Josh Dressler, who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. MacTaggart added 20 in the loss while Scott McDaniels chalked up 15 points and eight boards.
The Loggers vs. Linfield
After shooting 72.7% in the second half, the Linfield Wildcats upset the 13th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers, 93-82, in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night in McMinnville, Ore.
In the first half, the Loggers (16-4, 9-3 NWC) used their high-tempo offense to pull ahead of Linfield, earning a 10-point lead with 8:37 remaining in the first half and up to 16 with 54 seconds remaining before taking a 56-42 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Wildcats woke up from their first-half nap and the Loggers couldn't stop the Linfield shots from ending up in the bottom of the basket. After the 14-point Logger halftime lead, Linfield pulled within one point with 11:52 remaining and then pulled ahead with 9:29 remaining in the game. The game was a three-point contest with 2:22 remaining before the Loggers were forced to turn to fouling, allowing Linfield to collect the 93-82 win.
The Loggers were led by 20 points from junior Jason Foster (Tacoma, Wash./Foss), who also added five steals. Taylor Marsh (Lynnwood, Wash./Meadowdale) added 15 and Robert Krauel (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) came off the bench to score 13. Antwan Williams finished with 12 points on the night.
Linfield was led by 17 points from K.C. Wiser. Steve Taylor and Drew Schroeder each added 15 while Jon Weber chipped in 12. Erik Olson scored 10 to round out the Wildcats in double-digits.
Statistically Speaking
Already on top of the NWC standings, the Loggers are ranked first in several statistical categories. In addition to leading the conference in scoring offence (94.6 ppg), scoring margin (+12.8), field goal percentage (.496), steals (13.40 spg), turnover margin (+7.55), and attendance (1091).
Individually, Jason Foster is third in the conference in points per game, averaging 19.2 ppg, and is second in field goal percentage (.595). Antwan Williams leads the NWC in steals per game (3.0 spg) and is second in assists per game (5.65 apg).
On the national stage, the Loggers are third in scoring offense, fifth in steals per game and 19th in field-goal percentage. Individually, Williams is 11th in steals per game and 19th in assists per game. Foster is 24th in field-goal percentage while Robert Krauel is 27th in the same category.
Among The Nation's Best
Following the close win at PLU and the loss at Linfield, the Loggers slipped in the D3hoops.com Top 25, falling from 13th to 21st.
Scouting Whitman
Currently 4-16 overall and 0-12 in Northwest Conference play, Whitman will play host to Puget Sound on Friday. Despite the 12 straight conference losses, Whitman got a win just five games ago in a 75-64 win over UC Santa Cruz. Chris Faidley leads the NWC in scoring at 23.2 ppg while Graham Brewer and Jordan Wheeler are chipping in 11.7 and 11.5 ppg respectively.
Scouting Whitworth
Whitworth heads into the weekend with a record of 15-6 overall and 8-4 in NWC play. One of the hottest teams in the NWC a month ago, the Pirates have lost three straight ballgames by an average of nine points per game. Ryan Symes is averaging 18.1 ppg to lead the Bucs. Colin Willemsen is averaging 13.1 ppg and adding 7.9 rebounds per game. Point guard Ross Nakamura has dished out 102 assists while turning the ball over 21 times.
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 34-11, including 20-8 in the Northwest Conference.
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