The Pioneers upset 2nd place Whitworth 74-62 on Friday night,
January 23 at Pamplin Sports Center (boxscore).
After a shaky first half start, allowing the Pirates to a 19-4 lead
in the first seven minutes of the game, the Pioneers had battled
back to just a six point deficit as they entered half time. The
Pirates shot 41.4% from the floor in the first 20 minutes of play,
while the Pioneers shot just 30.3%.
The second half appeared to be a new and refreshed Pioneer team
taking the floor, as they stole the lead in the first three minutes
of play on a Pirate technical foul. As the half went on, the
Pioneer lead would be tested several times but never overcome. At
the 8:50 mark, the Pirates tied the score on a lay-up at 50-50, but
the Pioneers answered with a series of events that sent the orange
and black crowd to their feet. Ahead 60-56 with 3:30 remaining, the
Pioneers found David Berggren (sr., Tualatin, Ore.) in the corner
for a three-pointer hitting nothing but the bottom of the net. But
the Pioneers were not finished as they were fueled by the energy of
the crowd. On the very next possession, center Tyson Papenfuss
(sr., Clackamas, Ore.) sent a Pirate lay-up off the glass and
regained possession of the ball. The Pioneers went on to take a
12-point lead, finishing the game at 74-62.
The Pioneers were led by Josh Kollasch (jr., Tucson, Ariz.) with 20
points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. James Hollins (fr., Phoenix,
Ariz.) contributed 20 points of his own before fouling out with a
little over 5 minutes remaining. Tyson Papenfuss scored 15 points
on 5-8 shooting from the floor and 5-8 from the line. David
Berggren added 10 points for the Pioneers.
With the win, the Pioneers improve to 11-5 overall and 5-2 in NWC
play. They will return to action Saturday night, January 24, for
the annual Pac(k) Pamplin event when they host the Whitman
Missionaries. Tip off is set for 6 pm.
