Willamette First-Year Player Lind Registers 13 Points in Loss against Whitworth

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University first-year guard Mitch Lind (Fy., G, Midway, UT/Wasatch HS) scored 13 points and Jack Boydell (Sr., F, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) provided 12 points, but the Bearcats fell to hot-shooting Whitworth University on Friday, Jan. 20 at Cone Field House, 106-64. The Northwest Conference win moved Whitworth to 11-5 overall, 6-1 in the NWC, while Willamette fell to 5-10 on the season, 1-6 in the NWC.

Lind was 6 of 9 on field goal attempts and hit 1 of 2 free throws. His 13 points represent a Willamette high for the relatively new Bearcat. He has seen action in all 15 games with five starts, and has averaged 5.7 points per game.

Boydell's 12 points placed him in double figures for the 14th time this season, but his string of games with 17 or more points ended at 10. Boydell has scored 937 career points for the Bearcats.

Lind and Boydell were the only Bearcats in double figures on Friday, but Kenny Wright Jr. (Jr., G, Dallas, TX/R.L. Turner HS) finished with nine points and O'Neil Drury (Fy., G, Ojai, CA/Rio Mesa HS) scored eight. Meelad Doroodchi (Jr., F, Mooresville, NC/Pine Lake Preparatory) and Terry Sherman (So., F, Lake Charles, LA/St. Louis Catholic HS) both hauled down five rebounds for Willamette. Ryder Hsiung (So., G, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) led all players on both teams by blocking three shots.

Jake Holtz led Whitworth with 17 points as he connected on 6 of 8 field goals and 5 of 7 free throws. He also recorded a team-high seven rebounds. Rowan Anderson tacked on 16 points while hitting 8 of 11 field goals. Anderson also provided the Pirates with five boards and five assists. Carson Talbert scored 10 points. The Pirates shot 57.5% for the game (42 of 73), including 60.5% in the first half (23 of 38).

Doroodchi hit two free throws for Willamette to open the scoring just 33 seconds into the game after the Bearcats forced a turnover on Whitworth's first possession. The Pirates earned the next seven points, ending with a 3-pointer by Jerry Twenge and later held a 14-6 lead on a dunk by Ty Edwards with 15:55 to go in the half. Willamette pulled within 14-8 and 16-10 before the Pirates went on a 17-2 run to claim a 31-12 lead at the 10:28 mark.

The Pirates continued to hold a similar lead until the final 1:33 of the half when the margin reached more than 21 points. Whitworth went into the break with a 56-31 advantage.

Willamette cut the margin to 58-36 with 17:53 remaining in the game when Hsiung hit 1 of 2 free throws. The Pirates put through the next six points and gradually extended their lead.

For the game, Willamette shot 35.9% (23 of 64) from the field and made 14 of 19 free throws (73.7%). The Bearcats connected on 4 of 20 three-points attempts (20.0%), while Whitworth sank 10 of 25 shots from long range (40.0%). The Pirates registered a 48-31 rebounding margin.

The Bearcats will take on NWC opponent Whitman College on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Cone Field House. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PST).