Men's BB: Whits Take Aim at Second Spot in Crowded Field

 

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- As the Northwest Conference men's basketball season moves into its third week of play, six of the nine teams are locked in a virtual tie for second place in the standings.

Whitman, one of six teams with two conference losses, takes to its home court this weekend with sights resolutely set on adding a pair of victories to its record.

The Missionaries, 2-2 in the NWC and 9-4 overall, host Linfield (1-3 NWC, 3-10) on Friday.

Pacific (2-2 NWC, 8-5) plays Whitworth Friday in Spokane before coming to Walla Walla on Saturday. Game time both nights in Sherwood is 8 p.m.

While clicking on something less than all cylinders, Whitman toughed its way through a split last weekend in Tacoma, dropping a close decision to Puget Sound before nipping Pacific Lutheran the next night.

The two Tacoma schools got off to an early start this week with a Tuesday night game. Pacific Lutheran defended its home floor with an 80-62 victory over Puget Sound, which left both teams with 3-2 conference records.

Whitman and Pacific, along with Lewis & Clark and George Fox, head to the weekend at 2-2.

David Michaels, a 6-foot-7 senior, continues to pace Whitman this season in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). Fifth in the NWC in scoring and eighth in rebounding, he is shooting 50 percent from the floor (74-148) and 76.9 percent from the free throw line (50-65).

Next in the scoring column are a trio of Missionary guards: sophomore Josh Duckworth
(9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg), senior Brandon Shaw (9.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and sophomore LuQuam Thompson (8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg).

While Shaw is shooting 56.8 percent from the floor (46-81), Duckworth trails only Michaels in the rebounding department and Thompson tops the team in both assists and steals.

LuQuam Thompson

Junior wing Peter Clark (6.9 ppg) sets the Missionary pace for long-distance marksmanship with 28 three-point baskets.

Three more Missionaries are contributing five-plus points per game.

Ben Eisenhardt, a 6-foot-10 sophomore who joined the team at the semester break, is averaging 5.7 points and 2.5 points in his first six games.

Freshman Matt Mounier has also worked his way into the rotation, averaging 5.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in his first nine games.

Junior Ignas Pavilonis adds 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds a night. Other regular contributors include junior Drew Raher (4.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg), sophomores Ryan Gilkey (3.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Jordan Dickson (3.3 ppg), and senior D.J. Wright (2.7 rpg).

Raher continues to lead the NWC in three-point accuracy, having made 13 of his 25 attempts.

As a team, Whitman is second in the conference in steals (8.5 spg) and offensive rebounds (14.2 per game). The Missionaries are third in overall rebounding (38.8 percent), total 3-point baskets (105) and 3-point accuracy (36.2 percent).

Defensively, Whitman leads the NWC in fewest points (60.3 ppg) and 3-point baskets (63) allowed. The opposition is shooting just 28.3 percent from the 3-point line, which tops the NWC, and the Missionaries are forcing a conference-best 18.6 turnovers per game.

Linfield Wildcats

Linfield and Whitman split their two games last season with each side winning on its home floor. The Wildcats held court the two previous years, winning all four match-ups.

Prior to last Saturday's 95-71 victory over Willamette, Linfield had lost five straight and nine of 10. The Wildcats came up just short last Friday against a strong Lewis & Clark, falling 62-59.

Linfield's big gun is Zach Anderson, a 6-foot-5 junior who leads the NWC in scoring at 22.9 points per game while collecting a team-high 7.6 rebounds a night. Anderson, who is third in the conference in rebounding and first in free throw shooting (63-74, 85.1 percent), is 35 of 86 from the 3-point stripe (40.7 percent).

Andrew Batiuk, a 6-foot-9 freshman, is scoring 13.4 points per game while shooting 49.6 from the floor. He also averages 4.8 rebounds and had made 11 of 26 three-point tries (42.3 percent).

David Lee, a 6-foot-6 senior, is averaging 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in four games since returning from injury. Other key players for the Wildcats include 6-foot-3 sophomore Michael Moreland (7.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and 6-foot-5 junior Zach Meikle (7.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

As a team, Linfield is third in the NWC in blocked shots but last in steals. The Wildcat defense ranks next-to-last in terms off surrendering 80 points per game while forcing just 10.8 turnovers per game, the fewest in the NWC.

Linfield has also given up the most 3-point baskets (104) while allowing the opposition to connect on 36.2 percent of its shots from long distance. Only Whitworth is allowing its opponents to shoot a higher percentage from beyond the arc.

Pacific Boxers

The Boxers have lost three of their last four games, which includes an NWC split last weekend. Pacific won by 12 points at Willamette and lost by eight at home to George Fox.

A year ago, Whitman crushed the Boxers by 29 points in Sherwood but then lost by five in Forest Grove. The two sides also split the season series two years ago. The Missionaries took both games during the 2008-09 campaign.

Four juniors top the Boxers in scoring this season. Colin Wester, a 6-foot-2 guard, leads the way, averaging 15.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals. He is shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and has made 27 of 75 three-point attempts.

David Berney, a 6-foot-3 guard/forward, adds 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. He has made 40 percent of his three-point tries (22-55).

Charles Mosley, a 6-foot-3 forward, is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor while averaging 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. The fourth junior is 6-foot-8 forward Dustin Bowser, who is combining 7.9 points with a team-high 7.4 rebounds. Bowser is No. 4 in the NWC in field goal accuracy at 58.3 percent.

As a team, Pacific is second in the conference in field goal accuracy (46.6 percent) but next to last in scoring at 65.3 points per game.

On the plus side, the Boxer defense is giving up just 61.6 points per game, which trails only Whitman in that statistical category.

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