By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Jack Boydell (Sr., F, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) reached the 1,000-point mark for his career, and teammates Josiah Frank (So., G, Turlock, CA/John H. Pitman HS) and Ryder Hsiung (So., G, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) provided 18 points and 17 points, respectively, but Willamette University lost to Linfield University 90-73 on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at Cone Field House. The Bearcats led for 8:28 in the first half, but Linfield ended the period with a 14-3 run to take a 42-31 lead at the break, and the Wildcats remained in front during the second half.
The game was part of A Night of Hope, as the Willamette basketball teams supported brain cancer patients in cooperation with Kim's Hope. The Kim's Hope organization was founded in memory of Kim Veenhuis, the mother of former Willamette women's basketball player Amanda Carpenter.
Boydell earned his 1,000th point for the Bearcats on his first basket of the night, a 3-point shot that gave Willamette a 19-15 lead with 11:26 remaining in the first half. Boydell finished the game with nine points overall, giving him 1,006 career points. He grabbed eight rebounds, increasing his career total to 298, and also contributed three assists and two steals.
Frank's 18 points led the Bearcats, and he also was credited with five boards, two assists, and a steal. Hsiung's 17-point effort featured 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. In addition, Hsiung was one of five Bearcats with two steals. Levi Basurto (Fy., W, Lahaina, HI/Maui Preparatory Academy) scored 10 points for Willamette and was 4 for 4 on field goals.
Reece Gibb and Alex Jaczko each accumulated 20 pints to top the scoring chart for the Wildcat. Gibb was 7 for 9 from the field, while Jaczko sank 8 of 15 shots. Gibb led the Wildcats with three 3-pointers. Trey Bryant recorded a double-double with 17 points and 15 boards, to go along with three assists, four steals, and one blocked shot.
The Wildcats shot 54.1% on field goals (36 of 61) and went 8 of 23 on 3-pointers. Willamette connected on 36.2% of its shots (25 of 69), including 13 of 30 (43.3%) from behind the arc.
Willamette owned a 6-2 lead following a 3-point basket by Hsiung with 18:40 to go in the first half. Linfield stormed back with an 8-0 run to claim a 10-6 advantage after Gibb sank back-to-back 3-pointers with 17:47 and 17:22 on the clock. Hsiung answered with a pair of 3-pointers for WU, creating a 12-10 lead for the Bearcats with 16:07 to play.
Linfield tied the score with the game's next basket, but Willamette gained four-point leads at 16-12 and again when Boydell scored his 1,000th point. The Wildcats tied the game at 19-19 before a 3-point basket from Basurto and two free throws by Boydell gave the Bearcats a 24-19 lead at the 9:51 mark. A bit later, the Wildcats went on a 15-2 run, ending with nine unanswered points, as Linfield grabbed a 38-28 lead with 1:52 left. Six Wildcats scored during the run.
Just 18 seconds into the second half, Frank hit a 3-pointer for Willamette to pull the Bearcats within eight points at 42-34. Jaczko put through a jumper for Linfield before Frank added a layup to move WU back within eight points at 44-36. Linfield recorded the next eight points, starting with a 3-pointer by Bryant and ending with a trifecta by Jack Stallard, as the Wildcats increased their advantage to 52-36 with 16:31 to go.
Willamette used a 6-2 run to cut the margin to 54-42 on a 3-pointer from Frank as the clock reached 15:17, but the Bearcats couldn't get closer. Linfield outscored Willamette 36-31 the rest of the way.
Led by Bryant's 15 boards, the Wildcats held a 47-31 rebounding edge and an 18-12 margin in second-chance points. Linfield committed 21 turnovers and Willamette lost the ball 18 times, as the Bearcats finished with a 27-22 lead in points off turnovers.
The Bearcats will travel to Tacoma, Washington, to take on the University of Puget Sound on Friday, Feb. 3. The action is set to get underway at 8 p.m. (PST).
