The Pioneer men earned their third consecutive conference win over the Pacific Boxers 73-52 on Saturday night, January 10, at Pamplin Sports Center (boxscore). The Pioneers entered the game 2-1 in conference and 8-4 overall, while the Boxers were 0-2 in conference and 5-5 overall.

The Pioneers' hot-hand in the first half made it difficult for the Boxers to keep up, as the Pioneers had pulled ahead by 17 points after the first 18 minutes of play. Led by the consistent play of point guard Josh Kollasch (jr., Tucson, Ariz.) and Tyson Papenfuss (sr., Clackamas, Ore.), both going 5-7 from the floor, the Pioneers shot an impressive 55.2% from the floor. At the end of the first half the Pioneers led the Boxers by 14 points, 40-26.

The Boxers' second half defensive pressure was, again, not enough to put a halt to the blazing hot Pioneer shooting. L&C shot 48.0% from the floor in the second half, going 12-25. The Pioneers earned their largest lead of the game at the 10:40 mark on a Kyle Meeuwsen (so., Hillsboro, Ore.) dunk from David Berggren through the middle of the key to put them ahead by 24 points. Meeuwsen's second slam-dunk of the night came from a James Edwards lob-pass from cross-court with four minutes remaining in the game, extending the Pioneer lead to 71-44. The Pioneers finished the game at 73-52, holding the Boxers to just 26 second-half points on 9-28 shooting.

Josh Kollasch led the Pioneers for the fourth night in a row, earning a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Tyson Papenfuss also had a solid performance, going 8-12 from the floor with 18 points.

With the victory the Pioneers improve to 3-1 in conference play and 9-4 overall, marking the beginning of the Pioneers' three-game winning streak. They will return to action next Friday, January 16, when they traveled to McMinnville, Oregon to take on the Linfield Wildcats. Tip off is set for 8 pm, following the women's game at 6 pm.