FOREST GROVE, Ore.- Jacob Bolger (Junior/Portland, OR) exploded for another career-high in Pacific’s 85-77 win over Whitman, scoring 29 points to lead the team to their second straight victory in Northwest Conference action.
This was Pacific’s first win over Whitman since 2015.
The Boxers (8-12, 4-7 NWC) saw five players finish in double-digit scoring, posting a field-goal percentage of 45.2% (28-62). The hosts were unable to find the shooting stroke from beyond the arc, shooting below 20% from three-point range. However, Pacific was dominant on the glass with 44 rebounds to Whitman’s 34.
Whitman (8-10, 6-4 NWC) were held to just 17.9% from three-point range as the Boxer defense proved to be quite suffocating. The Blues were led by Nikola Trifunovic who scored 18 points.
Bolger enjoyed an unbelievable individual performance with 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting. The junior was 9-for-15 from the charity stripe while pulling down seven rebounds in his 26 minutes.
Trevon Ridley (Freshman/Murrieta, CA) posted an impressive double-double with 13 points to go with his team-high 15 rebounds. Ridley was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line, making some clutch foul shots down the stretch.
Jared Cattell (Senior/Bremerton, WA), Mario Mora (Senior/Bend, OR), and Lucas Winkler (Freshman/Portland, OR) each tallied 10 points in the contest. Winkler and Cattell each recorded six rebounds.
How It Happened
Bolger began the contest with four straight points to give the Boxers and early lead. Mora would also tally five quick points with a catch-and-shoot three followed by two free throws. A quick run from the visitors would give Whitman a five-point advantage at the 12-minute mark. Pacific would regain the lead with just under five minutes left in the half when Winkler came up with a steal and score. A basket from Ridley followed by four straight Isaiah Africano (Junior/Pearl City, HI) free throws would give the Boxers a 39-38 lead at the break.
Ethan Chung (Junior/San Ramon, CA) opened the second half with back-to-back layups, stealing the inbounds pass prior to an easy score. Another layup from Bolger would make it a quick 6-0 run to start the new period. Bolger would put together another good stretch by scoring six straight points for Pacific. Mora got in on the action by drilling his second three of the contest and Bolger would follow with a huge dunk to make it a 10-point advantage.
Whitman would rally to take the lead with just under six minutes left to play. Bolger would respond, yet again, with five consecutive points to restore the Boxer lead. With some solid free-throw shooting down the stretch, Pacific would earn their second consecutive win.
By The Numbers
- A total of 65 free throws were shot in the contest.
- Each team recorded six steals.
Up Next
Pacific faces a tough test tomorrow night at 6 p.m. when they host No. 14 Whitworth at the Stoller Center.
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