Bearcats to Take on Loggers and Bruins this Weekend

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- The Northwest Conference men's basketball schedule for this week sends Willamette University to Tacoma, Wash, on Friday, Jan. 9 to take on University of Puget Sound, before returning home to host George Fox University on Saturday, Jan. 10.

Willamette and Puget Sound will begin their game at 8 p.m. (PST) on Friday. The Bearcats and Bruins will play at Cone Field House at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

You can follow Live Video and Live Stats from the game at Puget Sound and you can watch Live Video and Live Stats from the game against George Fox.

The Bearcats head into the weekend at 2-9 overall and 0-2 in the NWC. Puget Sound is 6-3 on the season, 1-0 in the NWC, while GFU is 3-8 overall and 1-1 in the NWC. The Loggers defeated the Bruins, 84-68, on Saturday, Jan. 3.

Brandon Luedtke (Jr., F, Meridian, ID/Mt. View HS) continues to lead the Willamette roster in scoring average with 15.1 points per game, but he has missed the past four games with a back injury. His status for this weekend has not yet been determined. Luedtke also leads the Bearcats with 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.

With Luedtke out of the lineup in recent games, Brendon McCullough (Fr., G, San Antonio, TX/Home Schooled), Nico Troplent (Fr., Wing, Los Angeles, CA/Cathedral HS) and Bridger Harlington (Jr., Wing, Lake Tapps, WA/Auburn Riverside HS) have made greater contributions to the Willamette offense.

McCullough is averaging 11.8 points per game for the season. He scored a career-high 22 points against Colorado College on Dec. 30 at the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas. McCullough has reached double-digit scoring in nine of Willamette's 11 games. He leads the team with 2.7 assists per game.

Troplent has provided 9.4 points per game, while Harlington had added 8.8 points per contest. He tallied a career-high 19 points against University of La Verne in his second college game on Nov. 21. He has scored in double figures in four of Willamette's last six games.

Harlington registered a career-best 15 points versus Whitworth University on Jan. 2. He tops the Bearcats with 19 three-pointers and is shooting 38.0% from three-point range.

In addition, Kyle McNally (Sr., F, Salem, OR/Sprague HS) has contributed well-rounded performances for the Bearcats. He is averaging 5.7 ponts an 5.9 rebounds per game, including a career-high 15 points versus Colorado College. He has recorded 27 blocks (2.5 avg.), 20 assists (1.8 avg.) and 19 steals (1.7 avg.). He has blocked a total of 19 shots in the past four games.

The Bearcats have struggled a bit on offense with the absence of Luedtke, but Willamette has held five of its last six opponents to fewer than 71 points, including four opponents with fewer than 68 points.

Puget Sound's scoring chart is topped by Erin Barber (Sr., G) with 16.7 points per game. He also has provided the Loggers with 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Nick Holden (Sr., F) has tacked on 16.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.5% from the field.

Also scoring in double figures for the Loggers is Keith Shattuck (Jr., Wing), who has achieved 12.9 points per contest. He leads the Puget Sound's top scorers with 58.9% field goal accuracy, which also ranks first in the NWC.

Matt Reid (Jr., G) leads the Loggers with 3.7 assists per game. James Osorio (Sr., G) ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 8.3 points per game and is third with 5.1 rebounds per game.

George Fox has the top scorer in the conference, as Jonny Howard (Sr., G) has produced 18.3 points per game for the season. He is shooting 47.5% from the field and 82.4% at the free throw line. He ranks first on the team with 27 three-pointers.

J.J. Lacey (So., G) has scored 10.2 points per game for the Bruins, while Brendin Quinn (Fr., F) has earned 10.0 points per game. Eli Graham (Sr., Post) leads the squad with 6.3 rebounds per game. He is followed by Quinn, who has grabbed 6.0 boards per contest.

The Bruins rank second in the NWC in scoring with 78.9 points per night, but have allowed a conference-high 86.8 points per game. Part of GFU's scoring success has been gained behind the 3-point line, where the Bruins are tied for second in the NWC with 97 baskets.

Following this weekend's pair of games, the Bearcats will play three consecutive road games, starting at Lewis & Clark College on Wednesday, Jan. 13. Willamette will play at Pacific Lutheran University on Jan. 17 and at Pacific University on Jan. 23.