By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University men's basketball team will open the 2023-24 Northwest Conference schedule with a game against Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, on Friday, Dec. 1, and a match-up versus Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, on Saturday, Dec. 2. Game time for Friday's game with the Pirates is set for 8 p.m. PST. The game on Saturday against the Blues is slated for 6 p.m. PST.

Entering the weekend, Willamette is 2-3 on the season. Whitworth enters Friday's matchup at 3-1, while Whitman is currently 3-2. The Blues will host Pacific University on Friday.

Willamette tops scorer is Jack Boydell (Grad., W, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) with 16.0 points per game. He is 19 for 38 from the field (50.0%), including 13 of 24 on 3-point shots (54.2%). Boydell has hit 13 of 15 free throws for 86.7%. He has provided 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. Boydell has scored 1,134 career points.

Ryder Hsiung (Jr., G, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) has averaged 14.6 points per game and ranks second for the Bearcats with 11 three-points baskets. Also contributing double-digit scoring averages are Josiah Frank (Jr., G, Turlock, CA/John H. Pitman HS) with 13.8 points per game and Caleb Moore (So., G, Wadley, GA/Washington County HS/Bard College) with 11.0 points per contest.

Gavin Weisweaver (Jr., G, Boise, ID/Vallivue HS/Treasure Valley CC) is averaging 9.6 points per night. Top rebounders for the Bearcats are D'Ante Dean (Jr., F, Nassau, Bahamas/British Columbia Christian Acad./Peninsula College) at 9.0 boards per game and Kahiau Bruhn (So., W, Waimanola, HI/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama) with 7.6 rebounds per contest. Moore has supplied 4.2 assists per game.

Willamette Head Men's Basketball Coach Michael Lenahan is in his first season with the Bearcats. He previously worked in the NWC as an assistant coach at Whitman in 2014-15 and 2019-20. He was the head coach at Bard College (N.Y.) in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before joining the Bearcats. This year, Willamette is averaging 92.2 points per game.

The Pirates have four players who are averaging in double figures for scoring. Jojo Anderson leads the way with 20.0 points per game. He is 30 of 59 (50.8%) on field goals. Jake Holtz follows with 18.3 points per game and is hitting 58.8% of his field goals (30 of 51). Holtz is Whitworth's top rebounder with 7.0 boards per game.

Sullivan Menard has provided 13.3 points per contest and leads Whitworth with 10 three-point baskets. Garrett Long ranks fourth for the Pirates with 11.5 points per game sand is 16 for 18 on free throws (88.9%).

Whitman is paced by Jai Deshpande with 17.0 points per game and 57.4% accuracy from the field (31 of 54). Jander Cline of the Blues is averaging 14.6 points for Whitman while ranking first on the team with 6.0 boards per game.

Isaiah Amato has scored 10.4 points per game and Ali Efe Isik has earned 10.2 points per game. The Blues have averaged 15.8 assists and 34.6 rebounds per game. Whitman holds a +2.8 rebounding margin and is averaging 3.8 more assists than its opponents.