Men's BB: All Eyes Turn East as Top Four Battle in WW, Spokane

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- When it comes to Northwest Conference men's basketball, all eyes shift to eastern Washington this weekend as the top four teams in the standings go toe-to-toe in Walla Walla and Spokane.

Whitman, 7-3 in the NWC and 14-5 overall, heads to the weekend in a three-way tie for second in the NWC hierarchy.

The Missionaries get started at 8 p.m. Friday when Pacific Lutheran, one of the other teams tied for second place at 7-3 (10-9 overall), comes to Sherwood Center.

Also on Friday, Puget Sound (7-3, 15-4) takes its share of second place to Spokane to battle first-place Whitworth (9-1, 16-3).

The same four teams switch partners on Saturday with Puget Sound coming to George Ball Court while Pacific Lutheran visits Whitworth. Both of those games start at 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, George Fox (7-4, 10-10) kept its playoff hopes viable on Tuesday with a wild 116-112 victory over Lewis & Clark in four overtimes. The Bruins play just once this weekend, hosting Pacific on Friday.

A month ago in Tacoma, Whitman dropped a 68-63 decision at Puget Sound but then edged Pacific Lutheran 58-57.

After losing to the Loggers, Whitman has won six of its last seven games.

David Michaels, a 6-foot-7 senior, has cast an intimidating shadow across the NWC landscape for the past month and continues to pace Whitman in both scoring (18.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg).

After blitzing George Fox and Lewis & Clark for 71 points last weekend, Michaels picked up his third NWC Student Athlete of the Week award and was named to D3hoops.com's National Team of the Week.

Michaels now ranks second in the NWC in scoring, although his scoring average in conference games (22.2 ppg) leads the league. He is shooting 56 percent from the floor, 44.2 percent from the 3-point arc, and 80.6 percent from the free throw line.

Ben Eisenhardt, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, is averaging 8.9 points and 3.4 rebounds since joining the roster at the semester break.

Sophomore guards Josh Duckworth (8.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg) and LuQuam Thompson (8.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg) are part of a deep rotation that also includes junior wing Peter Clark (7.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and senior guard Brandon Shaw (6.8 rpg, 2.7 rpg).

Clark has knocked down a team-high 41 three-point baskets while Shaw is hitting 55.6 percent of his field goal attempts.

Junior forwards Ignas Pavilonis (5.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Drew Raher (5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg) give Whitman two more threats from the 3-point line. Pavilonis has 24 three-point strikes to his credit while Raher is shooting an NWC-best 55 percent (22-40) from long distance.

Sophomore guard Jordan Dickson (3.2 ppg) has done most of his scoring from the 3-point line, making 15 of 35 attempts (42.9 percent).

Others playing signficant minutes in reserve roles are freshman Matt Mounier (4.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg), sophomore Ryan Gilkey (3.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and senior D.J. Wright (2.4 rpg).

As a team, Whitman leads the NWC in steals (8.8 spg) and is second in rebounds (37.2 rpg).

Defensively, Whitman leads the NWC in fewest points (62.6 ppg) and 3-point baskets (106) allowed. The opposition is shooting just 31.8 percent from the 3-point line, which is the second-best mark in the NWC, and the Missionaries are forcing a conference-best 18.2 turnovers per game.

Pacific Lutheran Lutes

After losing by a point to Whitman last month in Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran has won five of its last six games. 

Whitman polished off its one-point victory over the Lutes when Ignas Pavilonis knocked down a 3-pointer and Matt Mounier added a free throw late in the game. David Michaels finished with 19 points while Pavilonis collected 10 rebounds. Josh Duckworth added nine points and LuQuam Thompson handed out five assists.

Cameron Schilling led the Lutes with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Schilling, a 6-foot-5 junior, is averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season. James Conti, a 5-foot-10 senior, also averages 13.5 points along with 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Conti leads the NWC in steals and ranks second in steals.

Andrew Earnest, a 6-foot junior, is just a click behind in the PLU scoring column. He averages 13.2 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 42.9 percent (45-105) from the 3-point arc.

Kai Hoyt, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, also scores in double figures for the Lutes, averaging 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. Cameron Reister, a 6-foot-5 junior, has connected 29 times from the 3-point line and averages 5.5 points per game.

As a team, Pacific Lutheran is second in the NWC in 3-point shooting (122-325, 37.5 percent).

Whitman and the Lutes have split their season series in each of the three previous years.

Puget Sound Loggers

After clipping Whitman by five points early last month in Tacoma, Puget Sound lost its next three games before rebounding to win its last four decisions.

In this season's meeting with Puget Sound, David Michaels had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Whitman. LuQuam Thompson added 15 points and six rebounds while Ignas Pavilonis had nine points and five boards.

Rex Holmes, a junior averaging 7.5 points on the season, came off the bench to spark the Logger victory over Whitman with 19 points. Kaleb Shelton posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Derek Jobe chipped in with 10 points.

Anthony Gittens just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Gittens, a 6-foot-9 senior, averages 12.3 points and 8.2 rebounds on the season. He is shooting an NWC-best 63.3 percent (88-139 fg) from the floor, and he leads the conference in blocked shots with 32.

Shelton, a 6-foot-5 senior, averages 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds. Jobe, a 6-foot-4 freshman, adds 9.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Other Loggers in the rotation include senior Edric Egberuare (7.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg), junior Riggs Yarbro (7.7 ppg), senior Julian Fernandez (6.3 ppg) and junior Ryan Rogers (5.5 ppg). 

As a team, Puget Sound tops the NWC in scoring (76.3 ppg) and rebounding (40.2 rpg).

Other teams are shooting just 42.1 percent from the floor against Puget Sound. That leads the league in field goal percentage defense.

Whitman swept the Loggers last season after the two sides split two years ago.

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu