Devlin's Spark Off Bench Leads Boxers To Third Straight Win

Box Score

FOREST GROVE – Leland Devlin (Fr., Phoenix, Ariz.) provided a red-hot spark off the bench to set the pace for Pacific's third straight victory Saturday as the Boxers scored a 75-44 blowout over Walla Walla in men's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
 
Devlin scored a game-high 17 points, all of which came in a first half performance where the freshman went 6 of 6 from the field, 3 of 3 from three-point range and 2 of 2 from the free throw line.  At one point, Devlin scored seven straight points and fueled a run that gave the Boxers a 16-point lead.
 
Colin Wester (Jr., Sherwood, Ore.) and David Berney (Jr., Eugene, Ore.) sealed the deal for the Boxers in the second half, scoring the majority of their points in the final 20 minutes.  Berney finished with 14 points to go along with three steals while Wester connected for 13 to go with five rebounds and four assists.  Leading 36-25 at halftime, the Boxers outscored the Wolves 39-19 in the second half.
 
The win moves Pacific to 3-0 on the season, their best start over the first three games since the 2000-01 season.  Walla Walla, a NAIA Division II independent, dropped to 1-10.
 
Mark Moore led the Wolves with 15 points.  Andrew Bailey scored seven points as Walla Walla connected for 37.8 percent from the field (17-45).  The Wolves were coxed into 17 turnovers and were out-rebounded by the Boxers 42-25.
 
Pacific benefited from Devlin's sharp shooting to build a commanding first half lead.  His lay-in at the 12:48 mark started a 17-2 run over the next four minutes, which was punctuated by a Wester breakaway slam dunk that put the Boxers ahead 29-13 with 7:36 left in the stanza. 
 
Luke Oldenkamp (Fr., Tillamook, Ore.) made it an 18-point game with his jumper with 5:28 to go before the Wolves whittled the lead down to 11 with a 10-3 run to end the half.  Moore hit two three-pointers during the stretch that allowed the Wolves within 36-25 at the half.
 
Walla Walla narrowed the lead to 10 on a three-pointer from Andrew Bailey a minute into the second half, but that's as close as the Wolves would get as the Boxers went on an 18-6 run over the next seven minutes.  Berney paced the surge with eight points, including a free throw with 11:31 to go that made it a 21-point lead, 55-34.  The Boxers extended the lead to 27 on Wester's trey with 7:53 left just before Head Coach Tim Cleary cleared the bench. 
 
Pacific shot 44.1 percent from the field (26-59) and connected on 9 of 21 from the three-point line.  Four players led the team with five rebounds.
 
Pacific will put its undefeated start to a tough test Tuesday night.  The Boxers open Northwest Conference play when they host Linfield at 8 p.m.  Walla Walla returns to action on Wednesday when they play at Lewis-Clark State.