Bearcats Finish Strong in 82-78 Victory over Pioneers

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University took a 73-71 lead on a basket by Jack Boydell (Jr., F, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) with 2:28 remaining to start an 11-7 run to end the game, as the Bearcats defeated Lewis & Clark College, 82-78, in Northwest Conference action at Cone Field House on Saturday, Jan. 15. WU led by just three points with 32 seconds to go, but Cedric Coward (Fy., F, Fresno, CA/Central HS) scored on a driving layup, was fouled, and hit the free throw with 12 seconds left for an 81-75 lead, and the Bearcats stayed in front.

The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes, but the Bearcats held an advantage for 25:46, including 14:42 in the second half. Willamette upped its record to 5-9 on the season, 2-4 in the NWC. Lewis & Clark dropped to 6-8 overall, 0-6 in the NWC.

Boydell led the Bearcats with 17 points. Coward earned his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 20 rebounds. He narrowly missed recording his second triple-double of the season as he finished with nine assists. Also in double figures for Willamette were Jonathan Watts (Sr., W, San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS) with 13 points and Daniel Plumer (Jr., PG, North Las Vegas, NV/Democracy Preparatory Academy) with 10. Josiah Frank (Fy., G, Turlock, CA/John H. Pitman HS) added nine points.

Meelad Doroodchi (So., F, Mooresville, NC/Pine Lake Preparatory) hit 3 of 3 field goals to put in six points and tied for the team lead with two steals for the Bearcats. Boydell also registered two steals, while Kenny Wright Jr. (Jr., PG, Dallas, TX/R.L. Turner HS) earned three assists.

Brenden Patrick scored a game-high 24 points for L&C, while Jayden Simpson tallied 17 points for the Pioneers and Ryan Cibull added 14 points. Jalen Lowery provided 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Jack Henderson scored eight points to go with 13 rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

After Boydell's go-ahead basket, the Pioneers turned the ball over with 2:15 on the clock. Boydell recorded a steal on the play, which led to a step-back jumper by Coward at the 1:55 mark, giving Willamette a 75-71 lead. A layup by Simpson pulled L&C within two points with 1:27 remaining, but Watts hit a 3-pointer on an assist from Coward with 1:06 to play, as the Bearcats grabbed a 78-73 edge.

Henderson scored next for Lewis & Clark, as he hauled down an offensive board and scored on a layup with 32 seconds left, moving the Pioneers within 78-75. Coward's three-point play followed, increasing WU's margin to six points. With six seconds left, Patrick was fouled and hit two free throws for the Pioneers. Watts answered less than a second later, when he sank 1 of 2 free throws for Willamette, giving the Bearcats an 82-77 lead.

Patrick went to the line for L&C with three-tenths of a second remaining on the clock after he was fouled attempting a 3-point shot. He missed the first free throw and made the second. He also converted the third free throw, but it was disallowed due to a lane violation by a teammate.

Willamette shot 47.0% for the game (31 of 66), while hitting 10 of 23 attempts from 3-point range (43.5%). The Bearcats sank 10 of 14 free throws (71.4%) and finished the game with a 39-35 rebounding edge. L&C shot 47.7% on field goals (31 of 65), but connected on just 6 of 20 three-point attempts (30.0%). The Pioneers were 10 of 17 at the free throw line.

Early in the game, the score was tied at 8-8 after Boydell hit a 3-pointer. Plumer tacked on another 3-pointer to supply WU with an 11-8 advantage with 26:24 left in the half. The Bearcats held a 17-12 lead after a fast-break layup by Wright Jr. at the 13:48 mark. Willamette also led by five points at 20-15 following a 3-pointer by Boydell with 12:40 to go.

Lewis & Clark countered with a 10-0 run that ended with a 3-pointer from Cibull for a 25-20 lead with 8:46 on the clock. The Bearcats tied the score on a layup by Coward and a 3-point shot by Plumer, but Patrick put through a driving layup with 6:02 to play to give L&C a 27-25 lead. Willamette answered with a 7-0 run to grab a 33-27 margin with 4:06 left in the half. The Bearcats led 42-35 at the break.

The Pioneers tied the game at 48-48 on a jumper by Simpson at the 15:50 mark in the second half, and led by five points on two occasions, including 55-50 after Patrick hit a layup with 13:31 remaining. Willamette tied the game with a 5-0 run and the score remained close the rest of the way. The Bearcats led 65-60 on a hook shot by Boydell with 7:38 on the clock, but the score was tied a bit later at 67-67 on a jump shot from Jalen Lowery of L&C.

Up next for the Bearcats is a home game on Friday, Jan. 21 against Linfield University. Tipoff at Cone Field House is scheduled for 8 p.m (PST).