PORTLAND, Ore. - The Lewis & Clark men's basketball team rolled to its third consecutive Northwest Conference win on Tuesday night, defeating the Willamette Bearcats 68-59. 

The Pioneers move to 8-6 on the season and 3-2 in conference play. The Bearcats slip to 4-10 overall and 2-3 in the NWC. 

Carl Appleton picked up the games only double-double, pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds, while netting 14 points. Junior Serg Ovchinnikov ended the night with a game-high 18 points for Lewis & Clark, while Jason Luhnow netted 14 and Justin Leathers knocked down 10. Leathers also picked up eight rebounds, while Ochinnikov and Cannen Roberson each had six. 

Brendon McCullough ended his night with a team-high 16 points for the Bearcats, while Kyle McNally pulled down a team-high seven boards. 

The opening four minutes saw both teams trade baskets, with Willamette draining the first shot just six seconds into the contest. An Appleton jumper with 16:05 on the clock not only handed the Pioneers the lead, but sparked an 11-0 run over the next six minutes.

The Pioneers pushed to a 25-9 lead with 6:25 left until intermission thanks to five points from Ovchinnikov, and two from both Roberson and Leathers. Willamette cut the deficit to 10 points moments later, but the Pioneers quickly responded with back-to-back made free-throws from Ovchinnikov and Jonathan Boddie.  The Bearcats outscored the Pioneers 8-6 in the final four and half minutes of the first half making it a 34-23 game at the break.

It took almost two minutes for either side to score in the second half with Bridger Harlington breaking the scoring drought for Willamette with a three-pointer. The Bearcats would continue to push, pulling within four points, 41-37, with 12:59 on the clock. The Pioneers responded with a 9-3 run over the next two minutes to make it a 50-40 contest.

Both sides would go onto score in patches throughout the rest of the game, but the Bearcats would never be able to get closer than seven points. 

The Pioneers hit the road for their next game, traveling to Tacoma to face Puget Sound on Friday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m.