Geoducks Can't Contain Pacific's Dynamic Duo
Mitch Wettig and Danny Brakebush had big games for visiting Pacific University on Friday night as the Boxers defeated the host Evergreen Geoducks, 81-71, in a non-conference men’s basketball contest played at CRC Gymnasium.
Pacific, which came into the game averaging about 56 points per contest, is now 3-3 for the season while Evergreen falls to 3-6.
Wettig was a major force near the basket, scoring most of his 20 points near the rim while also pulling down a game-best 15 rebounds. Brakebush scored in a variety of ways, hitting four of his three-point shots and also driving to the basket frequently on the way to a 26-point performance.
Riley Grandinetti added 16 points for the Boxers, who finished the game shooting 53 percent (27-for-51), including an impressive 50 percent (10-for-20) from beyond the arc.
More impressively, the Boxers did a number on the glass, pulling down 37 rebounds to just 18 for the hosts.
Alix Hernandez led the Geoducks with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan Dam added 15 points and Frankie Johnson and Jarrick Mitchell 10 apiece.
Evergreen got on the board first, scoring the initial five points on a jumper by Hernandez and a three-point bucket by Kortney Darby, but in the end the home team led for just 3 ½ minutes. Pacific led for 33 ½ minutes and held its largest lead at 15 points on several occasions in the second half.
The Geoducks were able to whittle away at the deficit and got within four points, 58-54, on a Hernandez jumper with 7:40 remaining in the contest. That was as close as they got, however, and Pacific was able to regain a double-digit lead before icing the game at the foul line.
Evergreen shot a solid 51 percent overall (26-for-51) but struggled from beyond the three-point line, making just 25 percent (4-for-16). The Geoducks are currently ranked eighth in NAIA Division II men’s basketball in three-point accuracy at 41 percent.
Interestingly, the Geoducks maintained their nation-leading turnover margin almost exactly, giving the ball away just 10 times while the Boxers committed 18 turnovers.
The Geoducks are back in action at 7:30 p.m. next Friday when the Corban Warriors visit CRC Gymnasium for a Cascade Collegiate Conference contest.