Pacific Edges Willamette, 113-111, Despite Jenkins' 31 Points and 19 Rebounds

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Jordan Jenkins (Sr., F, Placentia, CA/Valencia HS) of Willamette University scored a career-high 31 points, grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds and passed the 1,000-point mark in career scoring, but Pacific University overcame his performance to slip past the Bearcats, 113-111, on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at Cone Field House. The Boxers were led by Davis Holly with 22 points, including 6 of 8 on 3-point shots.

Jenkins entered the game needing just four points to reach the 1,000-point mark. He scored the Bearcats' second basket for a 4-0 lead and reached 1,000 points when he scored again at the 17:17 mark of the first half to give WU a 9-8 edge. Jenkins ended the game with 1,027 career points after connecting on 11 of 11 field goals and 9 of 12 free throws.

Jonathan Watts (Fr., G, San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS) and Justus Eaglesmith (So., G, Sparks NV/Spanish Springs HS) each added 24 points for Willamette. Watts finished with a double-double, as he also secured 12 rebounds. Ben Sutton (So., F, Seattle, WA/Ingraham HS) scored 15 points for Willamette. Alec Barba (So., W, Dallas, OR/Central HS) contributed eight points, while Trent Callan (Sr., G, Portland, OR/Lincoln HS) earned eight assists and five boards.

Holly led six Boxers in double figures. Gage Shelmidine and John Rigatti each chipped in 16 points. Marcus Wallace put in 14 points, while Joseph Ceballos-Espitia tallied 11 points and jared Cattell achieved 10.

Pacific upped its overall record to 9-13 on the season, while moving to 3-10 in the NWC. Willamette ended the night at 7-15 overall, 4-9 in the NWC.

Willamette led 107-104 after Watts sank a layup with 2:37 left in the game. Terrence Gilder of Pacific answered with a layup at the 2:02 mark to cut the margin to a single point. The Boxers moved in front, 108-107, on a layup by Ethan Moss with 1:29 to go.

Callan made two free throws with 1:13 on the clock to give WU a 109-108 edge. Holly put Pacific back in front, 111-109, on a 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining. Sutton tied the game for the Bearcats when he scored on a layup with 29 seconds left. Pacific called a timeout, before Rigatti gave the Boxers a 113-111 lead on a layup with seven seconds to play.

Following a WU timeout, the Bearcats quickly moved the ball from one baseline to the other. Callan missed a driving layup with one second on the clock.

During the game, Willamette and Pacific played through a total of 15 ties and 23 lead changes. The total includes 12 ties and 15 lead changes in the second half.

After Willamette took a 9-8 advantage on Jenkins' second basket, the Boxers went on a 9-2 run for a 17-11 lead. The run featured one 3-pointer each by Chris Kobayashi, Holly and Andy Isokpehi. Pacific eventually held a double-digit lead at 32-22 with 12:03 on the clock. Later, a 3-pointer by Kobayashi created a 49-37 margin for the Boxers at the 7:06 mark.

Sutton dunked for WU to start a 21-7 run for a 58-56 lead with 2:52 left. Sutton also provided a 3-point play during the run, while Eaglesmith and Watts each scored five points. A layup from Jenkins with 0:19 left gave the Bearcats a 64-63 lead at the break. Pacific trailed despite going 13 of 22 on 3-point shots.

When the second half started, Willamette went on a 9-5 run ending with a layup by Eaglesmith for a 73-68 lead with 16:12 to go. The Boxers scored the next eight points to move in front, 76-73. Later, Eaglesmith hit a 3-pointer for WU to create an 89-89 tie with 10:50 to go. Jenkins tacked on a layup and Eaglesmith sank a 3-pointer to give WU a 94-89 lead.

The Boxers scored the next seven points, and later held a 102-99 lead following a jumper by Shelmidine with 5:39 to play. The teams remained close the rest of the way.

Pacific shot 55.3% for the game (42 of 76) and made 16 of 30 three-point shots (53.3%). The Boxers sank 13 of 22 three-point shots during the half. Willamette connected on 37 of 69 field goals (53.6%) and connected on 9 of 30 three-pointers (30.0%).

The Bearcats hit 28 of 31 free throws (90.3%) and held a 50-20 rebounding margin, including 20 offensive boards. Pacific forced Willamette into 25 turnovers, which allowed the Boxers to achieve a 34-20 advantage in points off turnovers. The game inclued 15 ties and 23 lead changes.

The Bearcats will take on University of Puget Sound on Saturday, Feb. 9 at Cone Field House. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. (PST).

Big Moment of the Game for Willamette

Jordan Jenkins scored on a layup with 17:17 left in the first half
to reach 1,000 career points for the Bearcats. He kept on scoring
throughout the evening, and finished the game with a career-high
31 points, leaving him with 1,027 career points. Jenkins has scored
419 points this year and leads the Bearcats with 19.0 points per game.