BOX
SCORE
SALEM, Ore. - Sophomore James Hollins put up 24
points as the Lewis & Clark men's basketball team picked up a
93-88 Northwest Conference win over the Willamette Bearcats on
Tuesday night at the Cone Field House in Salem.
With the victory, the Pioneers improve to 3-10 on the season,
while picking up their second NWC take down (2-3). The Bearcats are
now 3-11 overall, while falling to 0-5 in conference action.
Willamette began the first half strong, opening with a 9-0 run,
before Tyler Tsukazaki put the Pioneers on the board with a
three-pointer at the 17:47 mark. Tsukazaki captured the lead for
Lewis & Clark five minutes later, knocking down another
wide-open three to put the Pios in charge 17-14. The two teams
would trade baskets for the remainder of the contest, before a
layup by Kelly Edwards with 38 seconds in the half sent the
Pioneers into the locker room with a 33-32 lead. The two teams
posted seven lead changes in the first half, while tying the game
on three occasions.
The second half began with Willamette sinking an early basket to
recapture the lead, before Josh Kollasch knocked one down from the
perimeter with 18:58 remaining to give the Pios a 36-34 advantage.
The Pioneers would run up a 13-point advantage over the next six
minutes, capped off by a three-pointer from PJ Taylor. Willamette
battled its way back into the contest, earning a 70-69 lead with
5:19 on the clock, after a layup in the paint by Mitchell. The lead
was short lived, as Hollins hit one from downtown to 19 seconds
later to give the Pioneers the lead, this time for good. The
Pioneers would find themselves up by 11 points in the final minute
of the contest, before finishing out with the 93-88 victory.
Hollins scored a game-high 24 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the
floor. Tsukazaki finished with 19 points, while Edwards had 18 and
Taylor ended with 15.
Cameron Mitchell led the way for the Bearcats finishing with 22
points on the night, while teammate Ryan Meehan had 14.
The Pioneers return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 16 when they
take a trip to Pacific for a NWC contest, with the tip set for 6
p.m.
