THE FINAL STRETCH
The Loggers split a pair of games last weekend east of the mountains, blowing out Whitman before dropping a nail-biter at Whitworth. This week, the Loggers look to wrap up a share of the Northwest Conference title as they play host to Lewis & Clark and Willamette.
The Loggers vs. Whitman
Leading from wire-to-wire, the 23rd-ranked Puget Sound Loggers remained in first place with a 104-67 win over the Whitman Missionaries in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night in Walla Walla, Wash.
A jumper by Weston Wood (Spokane, Wash./Riverside) at the 17:35 mark in the first half gave the Loggers (17-4, 10-3 NWC) a two-point lead and Whitman (4-17, 0-13 NWC) never caught up as the Loggers went crazy in the first half, taking a 59-38 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Loggers continued to chop down the Missionaries, pulling ahead by as many as 38 points with 6:41 remaining in the game. Puget Sound earned points from 13 different players in the victory.
The Loggers were led by 18 points apiece from Jason Foster (Tacoma, Wash./Foss), Antwan Williams (Portland, Ore./Madison) and Steffond Brown (Seattle, Wash./Lower Columbia CC). Robert Krauel (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) and Kevin Wright (Longview, Wash./Mark Morris) came off the bench to add 10 points each in the victory. Puget Sound got 54 points from its bench, compared with just seven for Whitman.
Whitman was led by 18 points from Garth Brandal. Graham Brewer added 16 points while Max Adcox chipped in 14. NWC scoring leader Chris Faidley was held to just eight points in the loss.
The Loggers vs. Whitworth
Junior guard Antwan Williams (Portland, Ore./Madison) scored his 1000th point in the maroon and white but the 21st-ranked Puget Sound Loggers fell victim to the Whitworth Pirates, 80-78, in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Saturday night at Whitworth Fieldhouse in Spokane, Wash.
In the first half, the Loggers used their high-pressure defense to prevent the Pirates from making a field goal in the final ten minutes of the half. Junior forward Jason Foster (Tacoma, Wash./Foss) led the way for UPS with 17 points in the first half as Puget Sound took a 40-30 lead into the break. The Pirates made just seven-of-24 attempts in the first half but were sent to the line 22 times, earning 16 of their 30 first-half points from the charity stripe.
In the second half, Ross Nakamura scored seven pick points for Whitworth to pull the Bucs within two, 42-40 with 16:39 remaining. The Pirates tied the game up shortly after and the two teams traded leads for a bit before the Loggers pulled back ahead. Whitworth again tied things up with 6:14 remaining and then pulled ahead by as many as five with just over a minute left.
Following a three-pointer by Williams with 56 seconds remaining that put him over 1000 points for his career and pulled the Loggers within two, Nakumura hit a pair of free throws to put Whitworth up by four with 45 seconds remaining. Following a collection of free throws by both teams, Williams hit another three with six seconds remaining to pull the Loggers within one point. Nakamura hit a free throw to put the Bucs up by two and Ryan Symes collected the layup of the ensuing missed free throw as time ran out in the game and the Loggers potential comeback.
Puget Sound was led by 24 points and 10 rebounds from Jason Foster (Tacoma, Wash./Foss). Williams added 21 points while Taylor Marsh (Lynnwood, Wash./Meadowdale) chalked up 16 in the loss.
Whitworth was led by 28 points from Symes. Colin Willemsen added 20 points while Nakamura chipped in 19 points in the victory. The Pirates turned the ball over just nine times during the contest and headed to the charity stripe 43 times, making 30 of those attempts.
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 (94.2 ppg), UPS is tops in scoring margin (+13.2), field goal percentage (.496), steals (13.00 spg), turnover margin (+7.14), and attendance (1091).
Individually, Jason Foster is third in the conference in points per game, averaging 19.3 ppg. Anwan Williams leads the NWC in steals per game (2.95 spg) and is second in assists per game (5.64 apg).
On the national stage, the Loggers are third in scoring offense, seventh in steals per game, 15th in scoring margin and 17th in field goal percentage. Individually, Williams is 14th in steals per game and 17th in assists per game. Foster is 23rd in field-goal percentage while Robert Krauel is 26th in the same category.
Scouting Lewis & Clark
The preseason favorite to win the Northwest Conference, Lewis & Clark has struggled a bit in 2007-08, heading into Tacoma with a record of 14-8 overall and 8-6 in NWC play. Last week, they picked up a big win over George Fox before falling on the road at Willamette. Mark Robinowitz leads L&C in scoring, averaging 12.7 ppg. On defense, Gene Rivera has led the way, averaging 6.4 rpg.
Scouting Willamette
The Bearcats come into this weekend with a record of 11-12 overall and 9-5 in NWC play, currently in sole possession of third place. Last week, Willamette won a pair of games at home over Linfield and Lewis & Clark. Kyler McClary leads the Bearcats, averaging 16.4 ppg on offense and 5.6 rpg on defense.
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 35-12, including 21-9 in the Northwest Conference.
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