- By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, ORE. -- Jack Boydell (Grad., W, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) scored seven points during a decisive 15-4 run by Willamette University, including a 3-pointer that tied him for the school career record, as the Bearcats outlasted Whitworth University, 85-78, on Saturday, Jan. 27 at Cone Field House. Boydell earned 15 points during the game.
Willamette upped its record to 11-7 on the season, including 6-4 in the NWC. Whitworth fell to 12-7 overall, 8-2 in the NWC. The Pirates entered the weekend at 8-0 in the conference, but were outscored by Pacific University 89-74 on Friday before losing to the Bearcats on Saturday. Whitworth is tied with Whitman College (8-2) for first place in the NWC. Willamette is tied for third place with George Fox University (6-4) and the University of Puget Sound (6-4).
"We knew Whitworth was going to come out fired up after their game last night (at Pacific), and they got off to a great start," Willamette Head Men's Basketball Coach Michael Lenahan said. "But our team weathered the storm and responded with 32 minutes of Willamette basketball."
The Bearcats trailed 71-70 with 6:56 remaining, but Boydell hit two free throws at the 5:34 mark to give WU the lead and open the offensive surge. Boydell tacked on his memorable 3-pointer with 4:04 to go, giving the Bearcats a 75-71 edge. Boydell began the game needing three 3-pointers to tie Paul Scott (1988-92) for the Willamette career mark of 175.
With 3:36 remaining, the Pirates cut the lead to 75-73 on a layup by Jake Holtz. Whitworth moved within 77-75 on two free throws by Ty Edwards at the 2:15 mark.
Willamette earned the next eight points, starting with a steal and a layup by Caleb Moore (So., G, Wadley, GA/Washington County HS/Bard College) with 1:25 to go. Josiah Frank (Jr., G, Turlock, CA/John H. Pitman HS) made a driving layup with 43 seconds left and also hit 1 of 2 free throws 18 seconds later. Moore added a free throw with 11 seconds to play. Boydell hit two free throws with five seconds on the clock for an 85-75 lead. Jojo Anderson sank a 3-pointer for the Pirates with just over a second left.
Boydell was 4 of 8 on field goals and 3 of 5 on 3-pointers. He grabbed five rebounds and went 4 for 4 at the free throw line. His 15 points increased his career scoring to 1,325 points. Frank also scored 15 points against Whitworth. D'Ante Dean (Jr., F, Nassau, Bahamas/British Columbia Christian Acad./Peninsula College) supplied Willamette with 14 points on 6 of 6 shooting and a pair of free throws on two attempts. He also hauled down five rebounds to complete a strong defensive effort.
Moore finished with 11 points, two assists, and two steals. Kahiau Bruhn (So., W, Waimanalo, HI/Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama) matched Boydell and frank with five rebounds. Ryder Hsiung (Jr., G, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) contributed five points, four assists, and two steals. Willamette held a 31-5 advantage in bench scoring and a 19-10 margin in points off turnovers. WU lost possession just seven times, while forcing the Pirates into 13 turnovers.
The Bearcats hit 54.1% of their field goals (33 of 61), while Whitworth shot 52.5% (32 of 61). WU gained an edge in 3-point accuracy, as the Bearcats sank 8 of 20 long-range shots (40.0%) and Whitworth went 5 for 15 (33.3%).
Holtz scored 20 points to lead the Pirates. He was 9 of 14 from the field. Edwards and Anderson each scored 18 points, while Sullivan Menard chipped in 11 points. Menard and Jerry Twenge were both credited with six rebounds. Holtz snared five boards, and also provided two assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. Edwards accumulated four assists.
Whitworth put up the first eight points and led 10-2 on a layup by Anderson with 16:49 left in the opening half. The Pirates eventually increased their lead to 22-8 on a 3-pointer by Menard with 12:51 to go. Later, Whitworth owned a 30-16 margin following a layup from Edwards.
Willamette reduced the deficit to 32-25 at the 4:30 mark after Moore scored on a jumper and a driving layup on back-to-back possessions. The Pirates tallied the next five points, but Willamette answered with a 9-0 run to end the half, reducing Whitworth's lead to 37-34. Dean capped off the run with a layup as the clock reached 22 seconds.
The teams stayed close early in the second half. Willamette held a 44-42 lead after a 3-pointer by Gavin Weisweaver (Jr., G, Boise, ID/Vallivue HS/Treasure Valley CC), but the Pirates claimed a 48-44 advantage after Menard and Anderson each hit from behind the 3-point arc.
Whitworth eventually held a 58-52 lead with 12:51 remaining, before Willamette tallied six points in a row. The Bearcats took a 68-63 lead a bit later on Boydell's second 3-pointer of the game. Twenge gave Whitworth a 71-70 lead on a jumper with just under seven minutes to go, before Willamette started its game-winning run.
The Bearcats are set to take on Pacific Lutheran University on Friday, Feb. 2. Game time at Cone Field House is scheduled for 8 p.m. PST.
