BOX SCORE

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Lewis & Clark men's basketball team secured the No. 4 seed in the Northwest Conference tournament on Saturday night with a strong 82-60 over the Whitman Missionaries in the Pamplin Sports Center. 

With the win the Pioneers end the regular season with a 17-8 overall record and 10-6 conference standing. The Missionaries end the season 16-9 overall and 11-5 in conference, earning them the No. 2 seed in the NWC tournament. 

The Pioneers were led by 17 points from Serg Ovchinnikov. Jason Luhnow ended the night with 15 points, while Quentin Sims knocked down 12 in his final game in the Pamplin Sports Center. Bradley Carter led all players with 15 rebounds, 11 of which were on the defensive side of the ball. 

Tochi Oti and LuQuam Thompson both scored 11 points for the Missionaries. Sean Hays and Jackson Clough each pulled down a team-high four boards for Whitman. 

With a playoff spot on the line, the Pioneers wasted no time getting started, taking an astonishing 29-9 advantage on a Connor Freeberg layup with 8:18 remaining in the first half. Whitman earned a couple points back, but Lewis & Clark regained control of the game, taking a 41-26 lead into the intermission. 

Lewis & Clark kept its foot on the gas throughout the second half, never allowing Whitman to pull closer than 17 points. With the support of a boisterous crowd, the Pioneers pulled its three seniors (Sims, Freeberg and Ben Neves) signifying the changing of the guard. Cory Coombe capped off the scoring for the Pioneers with back-to-back free-throws making it an 82-59 game. Whitman hit one free-throw to end the game at 82-60.

Lewis & Clark will travel to Whitworth on Thursday, Feb. 27 for a 7 p.m. tip-off for the first round of the Northwest Conference Tournament. The tournament winner is awarded the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.