Box Score

TACOMA, Wash. - Gabe Smith, whose three-point miss at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime, didn't miss the same shot at the end of the extra period, giving the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes a 79-76 victory over the George Fox University Bruins in a Northwest Conference men's basketball thriller Friday night here at Olson Auditorium.

No one would have foreseen overtime the way the Lutes began, ripping off the game's first nine points before the Bruins got on the board with a driving layup by Evan Atwater. The Bruins closed within four at 9-5 before the Lutes exploded for a 26-8 run, taking a 35-13 lead with to play. The Bruins then ended the first half with a 12-3 run, cutting the halftime deficit to 13 at 38-25. PLU was on target in the half by hitting .536 (15-28) from the field, Scott McDaniels doing the most damage with 11 points, while the Bruins struggled to a .367 mark (11-30).

The Bruins continued to chip away at the PLU lead, out-scoring the Lutes 23-10 to open the second half and finally knotting the game 48-48 on a three-pointer from the top of the key by Atwater with 14 minutes left. Two free throws by Victor Bull and a three from the left corner by Smith put the Lutes back up by five at 53-48 before the game was delayed with 12:47 left by a shot clock malfunction (a ball knocked out of bounds by PLU ripped the clock's electric cord out of its socket over the basket, and a ladder had to be brought in to reconnect it).

The Bruins rallied back for a 60-60 tie on a Satern layup with six minutes to play, then took their first lead of the game on a three from the right wing by Dan Lingenfelder with 4:37 left, and the game see-sawed back and forth the rest of the way. Back-to-back baskets by McDaniels and Josh Dressler put the Lutes up 64-63, but Bryan O'Connell powered inside for a layup as the Bruins regained the lead 65-64 with 3:20 remaining. McDaniels answered inside and Landon Heidenreich hit a pair of freebies with 2:19 left to make it 68-65 Lutes, then after an O'Connell free throw, Jared Brandeberry hit two free throws with 46 seconds left for a 70-66 Lute lead Satern hit two free throws with 39 seconds left, then Atwater stole a pass and Satern sank two more from the line for a 70-70 tie with 27 seconds to go. With a chance to win it, Smith missed a three with five seconds left from the right wing.

The Bruins struck first in the overtime on an O'Connell jump hook in the lane a minute in, but the Lutes tied on two charity tosses by Brandeberry. A Lingenfelder layup and Atwater free throw made it 75-72 Bruins with 2:11 to go, but Brandeberry hit a turnaround jumper and two more free throws to give PLU the 76-75 edge with 48 seconds to go. O'Connell tied it for the final time with a free throw with 32 seconds left, but with four ticks left, Smith did not miss his second opportunity to win it from the right wing. Satern's last-second try from beyond half-court was well short.

Atwater led the Bruins with 20 points, Satern had 17, and O'Connell scored 14. Atwater had six rebounds as the Bruins held a 37-36 rebound edge. Satern passed out five assists. The Bruins improved to .500 shooting (18-36) in the second period and overtime, finishing at .439 (29-66), and hit .364 (8-22) on threes, but managed only .556 (10-18) from the line.

McDaniels with 21 points and Brandeberry with 20 topped the Lutes, while McDaniels had a game-high eight rebounds Heidenreich handed out six assists. The Lutes cooled off in the second half and finished with a .466 shooting percentage (27-58), including .450 (9-20) on threes, and made .762 (16-21) of their free throws.

George Fox (5-13, NWC 1-8) visits the NWC co-leader and 7th-ranked University of Puget Sound Saturday for an 8:00 p.m. game, while Pacific Lutheran (9-8, NWC 5-4) hosts Lewis & Clark College Saturday, also at 8:00 p.m. Both games will be preceded by NWC women's contests at 6:00 p.m.