PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College men's basketball rallied back from a 15-point, second-half deficit but fell just short in a 69-65 season-opening loss to visiting Chapman University on Saturday afternoon at Pamplin Gymnasium.
THE BASICS
Chapman 69, Lewis & Clark 65
(Lewis & Clark 0-1)
(Chapman 2-0)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Chapman sophomore Cruz Billings hit a go-ahead layup with 12 seconds left and drew an offensive foul on the Pioneers final possession to help the Panthers spoil the Pioneers season opener.
Junior transfer
Isaac Ticeson and sophomore
Kody Uyesugi led the Pioneers offensively on Saturday afternoon. Ticeson finished with a team-high 12 points (5-8 FG) and added six rebounds, a block and a steal. Uysegui made an impact off the bench with 11 points (3-8 3PT) and two assists.
Junior transfers
Griffin Datcher IV and
Mikey Medlock Jr. and senior
Nikko Echalas all finished with nine points. Datcher scored all nine of his points in the second half and tied junior transfer
Nate Berg for the team lead with eight rebounds. Medlock Jr. went 4-5 from the free throw line and Echalas paced the Pioneers with six assists and went a team-best 5-6 from the free throw line.
Kyle Lewis led four Chapman players in double figures. Lewis registered a game-high 16 points on 6-8 shooting. Christian Bood went 3-3 from deep for 13 points and Jake Heberle and Cruz Billings chipped in 10 points apiece.
Lewis & Clark jumped out to a strong start.
Sam Henderson scored on the opening possession of the game and Ticeson made it 4-0 on a fast break layup moments later. Lewis & Clark extended their lead to a game-high eight points (10-2) five minutes into the game. Ticeson started the 6-0 run with a lay-in, Medlock Jr. chipped in a free throw and Uyesgui drained a deep 3-pointer.
Chapman responded with an 8-0 run to grab the lead (12-10) and neither team would lead by more than three points for the next 10 minutes. The visitors used a 17-0 run to grab a 36-23 lead with 2:26 to go before halftime. Echalas snapped the run with a pair of free throws and Uyesgui hit a three just before halftime to cut the deficit to 39-28 at the break.
The Panthers pushed their lead to 15 (45-30) out of the break thanks to a mini 6-2 flurry. Lewis & Clark would begin to turn the momentum immediately. Datcher IV threw down a pair of dunks to key an 11-0 run. Sophomore
Taien Jackson (four points) and Echalas (three points) also scored during the flurry.
Chapman would push their lead back to 11 (52-41) with 9:47 to play but the Pioneers again had an answer.
The Pioneers drained three 3-pointers over their next four possessions, with Berg, Uyesugi and Datcher IV all knocking one down, to again make it a four-point game (54-50).
After Chapman pushed the lead back to nine (61-52), Lewis & Clark went on a 13-4 spurt to tie the game. Echalas drained a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two with 61 seconds left and then knocked down a basket on a fast break to tie the score at 65 with 35 seconds left.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 11 different Pioneers saw action in the contest, including five of the team's six transfers. Ticeson, Datcher IV and Medlock Jr. all earned starts and Berg (28 minutes) and Uyesgui (20 minutes) each played at least 20 minutes off the bench.
- Berg recorded five points, eight rebounds and a game-high five blocks.
- The Pioneers finished the game shooting 39.0 percent (23-59) from the field, 26.1 percent from distance (6-23) and 72.2 percent (13-18) from the free throw line.
- Lewis & Clark earned a 15-12 edge in points off turnovers and 13-7 lead in fast-break points.
- Chapman has won the past five meetings between the two programs but Saturday's contest was the closest of the five.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark will continue their seven-game homestand to begin the season, when they host Portland Bible College on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
