PORTLAND, Ore. - It took a late push in the second half but the ninth-ranked Puget Sound Loggers stayed unbeaten in Northwest Conference play and opened up a three-game lead in the standings, defeating second-place Lewis & Clark, 74-60, in a NWC men's basketball game on Friday evening in Portland, Ore.

The Loggers found themselves in a battle early as the two teams found themselves trading baskets, as well as leads, for the entire first half.  A three-point play by Jason Foster (Spanaway, Wash./Henry Foss) with about one minute to go in the first half tied the game up at 33-33 heading into halftime.  Foster led the way in the first half, putting up 11 points and eight boards in the first 20 minutes.

In the second half, the teams continued to battle back-and-forth.  Puget Sound eventually began to pull ahead about midway through the period, using a 9-1 run to pull ahead by seven points.  The Puget Sound lead hit double-digits on a lay-up by Antwan Williams (Portland, Ore./Madison) that put the Loggers up by 10 points, 69-59, with 3:33 remaining.  Lewis & Clark was held to just seven points over the final ten minutes of the game as the Loggers collected the 74-60 win.

The Loggers were led by 24 points and 16 rebounds from Foster.  Williams added 11 points in the win as the Loggers shot 42.4% from the field.

Lewis & Clark was led by 16 points from David Berggren and 15 points from James Hollins.  The Pios were held to just 35.7% shooting from the field.

Puget Sound hits the hardwood again on Saturday night when they travel to Linfield.  Tip-off with the Wildcats is set for 8:00 p.m. in McMinnville, Ore.

Box Score