By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Jack Boydell (Jr., F, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS), Kenny Wright Jr. (Jr., PG, Dallas, TX/R.L. Turner HS), and Daniel Plumer (Jr., PG, North Las Vegas, NV/Democracy Preparatory Academy) leading the way on the scoreboard, the Willamette University men's basketball team defeated the University of Puget Sound, 84-80, on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Cone Field House. Boydell accumulated 22 points, while Wright Jr. added a career-high 17 and Plumer finished with 15.
Second-half scoring for the Bearcats included 13 points each by Wright. and Plumer, plus 10 points from Boydell. Willamette trailed by as many as five points early in the second half, but the Bearcats held the lead for the final 9:03 on the clock. A basket by Wright with 6:10 left gave WU a 70-63 advantage. The Loggers pulled within five points twice including 74-69, but a driving layup by Wright at the 2:34 mark, a layup by Plumer with 2:05 to go, and a jumper by Boydell with 1:32 remaining increased Willamette's lead to 11 points at 80-69.
The margin reached 82-70 on another layup by Plumer with 58 seconds to play. Puget Sound scored the next four points to move within 82-74, before Plumer put in a layup with 25 seconds left to give WU a 10-point cushion. The Loggers added 3-point baskets with 15.6 and 6.3 seconds on the clock, but couldn't overcome Willamette's lead.
Willamette improved to 6-13 on the season, including 3-8 in the Northwest Conference. Puget Sound fell to 8-14, 3-9 in the NWC. The Bearcats will play their third game in three days when they host Whitman College on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. (PST). The game was originally set for Jan. 29 in Walla Walla, Washington, but was rescheduled for Sunday in Salem.
Against Puget Sound, Boydell was 10 of 14 from the field. He also earned two assists and two steals. Wright went 8 for 11 on field goals and also provided four assists. Plumer hit 7 of 14 shots, while contributing four rebounds and four assists.
Cedric Coward (Fy., F, Fresno, CA/Central HS) of Willamette was held to five points by the Loggers, but he brought down 15 rebounds to go along with six assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. He scored on a fast-break dunk to give WU a 63-58 lead with 8:23 left in the game.
"This was a fantastic performance form our team to get a much-needed win," Willamette Head Men's Basketball Coach Kip Ioane. "We had clutch shots from Kenny Wright and Jack Boydell, paired with great defense, that helped us seal the deal."
Paul Johnson of Puget Sound topped all scorers with 23 points, while hitting 9 of 16 field goals, including four 3-pointers. He added three assists and blocked two shots. Cal Hansen tallied 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go with five boards. Taj Phillips earned 11 points, five boards, and four assists.
Willamette outrebounded the Loggers, 35-30, and held a 44-40 edge on points in the paint. WU also owned a 20-12 margin in bench scoring. The Bearcats shot 58.1% for the game (36 of 62), while hitting 65.6% of their shots (21 of 32) in the second half. WU went 10 for 23 on 3-point shots (43.5%). The Loggers connected on 50.8 of their field goals (32 of 63) and sank 9 of 23 attempts from 3-point range (39.1%).
The Loggers held an advantage early in the game, earning a 15-6 lead after Hansen hit a driving layup with 15:07 remaining in the half. The Bearcats moved within 15-11 on a 3-pointer by Paul McSlarrow (So., W, Santy, UT/The Waterford School) at the 12:43 mark, but Puget Sound grabbed a 23-13 margin on a basket by C.J. Geathers with 11:02 to play.
A 15-4 offensive surge by the Bearcats gave Willamette its first lead at 28-27 on a 3-pointer from Boydell with 5:27 left in the half. Three-pointers by Joshua Perez (Jr., W, Los Angeles, CA/John Marshall HS) with 4:27 on the clock and Coward with 4:00 to go offset a pair of two-point baskets by Johnson, as Willamette gained a 34-31 edge. The teams were tied at 36-36 when the first half ended.
Puget Sound scored the first four points of the second half to move in front 40-36. A bit later, Johnson put through a 3-pointer to create a 45-40 lead for the Loggers with 16:03 remaining. Willamette scored the next five points, with a hook shot by Meelad Doroodchi (So., F, Mooresville, NC/Pine Lake Preparatory) tying the game. PS regained the lead, but couldn't pull away.
The Bearcats gained a 52-51 lead on a fast-break layup by Boydell with 12:48 to go, and WU held a 55-53 advantage after Josiah Frank (Fy., G, Turlock, CA/John H. Pitman HS) hit a 3-point shot at the 11:41 mark. The Bearcats took the lead for good at 59-58 when a steal by Perez led to a layup by Wright with 9:03 to play.
