ANGWIN, Calif. – Liam Clark debuted for Southern Oregon with 20 points and six rebounds in a season-opening 82-67 win against Pacific Union (Calif.) on Thursday night at Covered Wagon Arena.
Clark, a 6-foot-7 senior forward who transferred to SOU from Western Washington, hit 9-of-13 attempts in helping the Raiders shoot 52% overall from the field. He scored 13 in the first half, pushing them to a 13-point lead at the break.
Sophomore forward Bryce Dyer logged 10 points and team-highs of eight rebounds and four assists off the bench. Senior guard Elijah Jackson contributed 12 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field, and senior forward Khalil Chatman went for eight points, seven boards and two steals.
The Raiders outscored the Pioneers (0-1) 10-2 over the final three minutes of the first half. Their lead was down to 63-60 with seven minutes left before Jacob Axmaker helped them pull away by hitting 3-of-4 attempts from 3-point range down the stretch.
Behind Axmaker, Dyer and Gio Evanson, who chipped in nine points and five rebounds, SOU's bench had a 36-16 advantage over PUC's.
Jevon Blackmore kept PUC in the game with 21 points on 8-of-12 accuracy. The Pioneers, members of the California Pacific Conference, have lost 33 consecutive games dating back to the 2022-23 season.
The Raiders are off until traveling to face another Cal Pac affiliate, Simpson (Calif.), on Nov. 5.