Boxers Hit Key Shots in Defeating Geoducks
The visiting Pacific Boxers hit a pair of crucial three-point baskets inside the final five minutes of the game Tuesday night on the way to beating The Evergreen State College, 79-73, in non-conference men's basketball inside Costantino Recreation Center.
With Evergreen (0-5) holding a 66-65 lead following Pat Ling's layin with 4:49 to play, Pacific's R.J. Collins hit back-to-back three-point shots on consecutive trips down the floor to turn the momentum of the game. The Geoducks were able to close to within two points but were not able to fully overcome their deficit.
After taking a 40-37 lead into the half, the Geoducks built a 48-37 advantage following a Ryan Quigley layup about three minutes into the second half. The Boxers eventually worked their way back into the contest, knotting the score at 55-55 with 8:32 to play, and from then on the two teams battled on even terms until Collins hit hit clutch long-range attempts.
Evergreen shot 48 percent (27-for-56) from the field and 83 percent (15-for-18) from the foul line, but Pacific's impressive three-point shooting told the tale in the end. The Boxers were 12-for-22 from long range, including a 6-for-8 effort from Brevin Brown, who came off the bench to score 19 of his game-high 24 points in the opening half. Collins ended up 4-for-7 from beyond the arc in scoring 16 points, while both Davis Holly and Jay Merriweather added 11 points in the victory.
Quigley was 8-for-9 from the field in scoring a team-best 20 points for Evergreen, which also got 14 points apiece from Pat Ling and Jaurence Chisholm.
Pacific held a narrow 35-34 rebounding advantage, though it was Evergreen's Chisholm who led all players in that category with eight.
Evergreen opens Cascade Collegiate Conference play this weekend in Portland, Ore., facing Warner Pacific on Friday and Multnomah on Saturday.