SALEM, Ore.—Four Pioneers finished in double-figures and Lewis & Clark College men's basketball's league-leading defense held host Willamette University 33 points below their season average, to earn a win in their 2024-25 Northwest Conference season opener on Friday night. 

THE BASICS
 
Lewis & Clark 76, Willamette 55
(Lewis & Clark 4-3, NWC 1-0) 
(Willamette 5-2, NWC 0-1) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Lewis & Clark outscored the hosts 46-26 in the second half to turn a one-point halftime lead into a rout in both teams' NWC openers. 
 
Junior Andre Treadwell and senior Sebastian DePrez each finished with double-doubles in the victory. Treadwell led the visitors with a season and team-high 16 points on 6-13 shooting and 4-4 from the line. He added a season-high 10 rebounds in 28 minutes of action. DePrez notched his second career double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. As a team, Lewis & Clark posted a 55-44 edge in rebounds. 
 
Junior Taien Jackson chipped in 15 points. He finished 5-8 from the field, 2-4 from distance and added five rebounds to finish a team-best +30 for the game. Senior Griffin Datcher IV was the final Pioneer to finish in double-figures. He posted 10 points, eight rebounds (four offensive) and led Lewis & Clark with four assists. Junior Kody Uyesugi tacked on nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. 
 
Lewis & Clark jumped out to a 6-0 lead and extended their advantage to 10-3 with 16:33 to go in the first half. Sam Henderson, Nate Berg, Datcher IV and Jackson (final four points) all contributed during the early stretch. 
 
Willamette would tie the game at 14-14 with 11:30 to go in the first half. While both teams would try to go on runs, neither side would lead by more than three points the rest of the half. The Bearcats briefly took a game-high 22-19 lead but Datcher IV hit a free throw and then a layup to tie it and Berg gave the Pioneers the lead back with a layup to make it 24-22 Lewis & Clark. 
 
The two teams would trade baskets late in the first half with DePrez's putback layup with 21 seconds left in the first half giving Lewis & Clark a 30-29 edge going into the break. 
 
Lewis & Clark dominated the second half. Their defense turned eight Bearcats turnovers into a 12-0 advantage in points off turnovers, while Lewis & Clark committed just two turnovers of their own. The Pioneers bench outscored Willamette's entire team in the final 20 minutes by a 27-26 margin. 
 
With the Pioneers leading 43-39 with 15:37 to play, Lewis & Clark went on an 8-0 run to earn their first double-digit lead of the game. DePrez (four), Treadwell and Jackson all hit baskets in a 3:15 span to push the lead to 51-39 with 12:22 left. 
 
Willamette would keep the game within three to four possessions for the next 6+ minutes before Lewis & Clark went on a 9-0 run to put the game away. DePrez started the flurry with a jumper and Treadwell and Jackson added baskets off turnovers to push the lead to 65-49 with 3:49 left. DePrez and Treadwell added three made free throws to push the lead to 19 points (68-49) with 2:26 to play. 
 
Uyesugi hit a pair of free throws with under a minute to play, to help the Pioneers earn their largest lead of the game at 76-55. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Lewis & Clark leads the Northwest Conference this season in points allowed per game. Their average of 57.7 is four points better than second-place Whitworth (62.0). Lewis & Clark has allowed 55 points or fewer in all four of their wins this season.
• DePrez posted his first double-double of the year and first since February 4, 2023 against Whitworth. He had not posted double-digit points or double-digit rebounds in a game this season prior to tonight. 
• Willamette came into the game second in the conference averaging 88.1 points per game. Their 55 points are their second-lowest of the season (50 points vs North Central).
• Treadwell snapped a stretch of back-to-back games in single-figures for points and recorded a season-high 16 points on Friday. The junior transfer's collegiate-high for a single-game is 20 which he set last November while playing for the College of the Sequoias. 
• Berg finished with six points, four rebounds and a team-high three blocks. 
• Lewis & Clark finished the game with advantages in points off turnovers (17-3), bench points (40-14), points in the paint (36-28) and fast-break points (12-7). 
• With the win, Lewis & Clark snapped a two-game losing streak against Willamette and earned their fourth win in their last six meetings with the Bearcats. 

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will play their final home game of 2024, when they host Douglas College on Sunday at 1 p.m.