Willamette to Play at Pacific, Host Linfield, in NWC Men's Basketball

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

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University will play two Northwest Conference men's basketball games this weekend, starting with a road game at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., on Friday, Jan. 23. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (PST). The Bearcats will host Linfield College on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Cone Field House starting at 6 p.m.

On Saturday, the Bearcats and the Wildcats will be participating in Feed the Dream -- the MLK Food Drive. Fans who donate two canned food items or an equivalent monetary donation will receive FREE admission to the game.

Multimedia coverage of each game will be available through Live Video and Live Stats.

Prior to the weekend, Willamette is 4-11 on the season, including 2-4 in the NWC. Pacific, which defeated George Fox University, 91-82, on Tuesday, owns an 8-8 overall record and is 3-4 in the NWC. Linfield, which plays Lewis & Clark College in McMinnville, Ore., on Friday, is 2-13 overall, 0-6 in the NWC.

For the Bearcats, Brandon Luedtke (Jr., F, Meridian, ID/Mt. View HS) leads the team in scoring average with 14.2 points per game. He also ranks first on the WU roster with 9.5 rebounds per game and is first with 1.8 steals per game. Luedtke is shooting 50.8% from the field (63 of 124) and has reached double figures in scoring nine times.

Brendon McCullough (Fr., G, San Antonio, TX/Home Schooled) follows with 11.5 points per game. He leads Willamette with 2.5 assists per game. He has score 10 or more points 12 times, including a career-high 22 points against Colorado College on Dec. 30. He has shot 82.8% at the free throw line (77 of 93).

Senior forward Kyle McNally (Salem, OR/Sprague HS) trails only Luedtke in rebounding with 6.4 boards per contest. He ranks first in the NWC with 40 blocked shots and is averaging 2.7 blocks per game. He also is providing the Bearcats with 6.1 points, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The Bearcats have benefited from strong play by freshman Nico Troplent (Fr., Wing, Los Angeles, CA/Cathedral HS). Troplent is averaging 9.5 points per game and has converted 80.6% of his free throws (29 of 36).

Bridger Harlington (Jr., Wing, Lake Tapps, WA/Auburn Riverside HS) is averaging 9.3 points per contest. He ranks first on the team with 24 three-pointers.

Willamette is averaging 65.6 points per game. The Bearcats are shooting 69.7% at the free throw line, where they have made 230 of 330 attempts. WU owns an edge in turnovers, forcing opponents into 3.8 more turnovers per game. Opponents have lost the ball an average of 18.7 times per game.

Pacific enters Friday's match-up with a two-game winning streak. The Boxers edged out Whitman College, 61-59, on Jan. 17 before winning at George Fox on Tuesday. Pacific is averaging 61.2 points per game, while allowing 63.2 points per contest.

Mitch Wettig (Sr., G/F) has scored 12.1 points per game for the Boxers and leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game. He is tied for the team lead with 17 steals in 16 games played. Danny Brakebush (So., G) has averaged 19.7 points per game, but has not played since mid-December.

The Boxers received an outstanding game from Riley Grandinetti (Sr., G) against GFU, as he scored 24 points by hitting 8 of 14 three-point shots. He tied the Pacific record for successful three-pointers in a game. For the season, Grandinetti has contributed 9.2 points per game. He ranks second on the team with 2.9 assists per game.

Skyler Burgess (Jr., F) has chipped in 8.9 points per contest. He registered a double-double against George Fox with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He has averaged 5.2 rebounds per game and is shooting 59.8% from the field (55 of 92).

Senior guard Colby Proctor leads Pacific with 56 assists (3.5 avg.) and is tied with Wettig for the team lead with 17 steals.

Linfield's top scorer is Ryan Potter (So., G) with 10.3 points per game. He also leads the Wildcats with 31 three-pointers and has connected on 39.2% of his 3-point shots.
He ranks second on the team with 28 assists (1.9 avg.).

Ryan Cali (Sr., G) has earned 8.1 points per game. He is shooting 79.3% at the free throw line, where has made 23 of 29 shots. He leads Linfield with 37 assists (2.5 avg.) and 13 steals (0.9 avg.)

Austin Murray (Fr., F) is third for the Wildcats with 7.7 points per game. He is the team leader in rebounds with 4.2 boards per contest and ranks first with 11 blocked shots.

Also for the Wildcats, Trevor Howard (Fr., G) has scored 7.6 points per game, while shooting 56.3% on field goals (36 of 64). He has converted 28 of 52 three-point shots (53.8%). Howard attended nearby Blanchet Catholic School.

Linfield has scored an average of 60.8 points and has achieved a slim rebounding edge over its opponents, 31.0-29.9 per game. The Wildcats have allowed 72.5 points per game.