The Presidents (1-8) got off to a fast start, opening up a 6-2 lead at the 17:30 mark of the first half. The offense sputtered after that however and Pacific Lutheran used a 22-10 run over the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 32-20 advantage into the locker room. Drew Cardwell led the run, scoring five of his six first half baskets in the final eight minutes. W&J made only 8-of-28 shots in the first half, including 0-for-9 from 3-point range.
The second half started out in a similar fashion for the Presidents, scoring only 10 points in the first 10 minutes and allowing Pacific Lutheran's lead to grow to 18 at 48-30. W&J would not give up; however, and staged a furious rally over the next six minutes. A 24-5 run over that time gave the Presidents their first lead since the early minutes. W&J couldn't hold on however, as the Lutes scored the final 10 points of the game for the final margin.
Junior guard Jon Koch (New Kensington, Pa./Plum) was the only President to finish with double digit points, scoring 20 points and collecting five rebounds. He now needs only two points to reach 1,000 for his career. Cardwell led all scorers with 29 points for the game. The Presidents next play tomorrow against Ramapo University in the second game of the round robin format. Ramapo defeated Pacific Lutheran 90-81 on Tuesday.
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