SALEM, Ore. – In a game where the Geoducks led by as much as 11 in the first half and trailed by as much as 10 in the second half, Evergreen used an impressive late comeback to secure their first win of the season over Willamette, 85-82.
Mubarak Michael (13), Jayden Upshaw (12), Elijah McLaughlin (12), Luke Brewer (12) and Alex Glenn (11) all recorded double-digits in points and showcased a balanced attack from the Geoducks (1-2, 0-0 CCC). Evergreen's depth was crucial in the win as 43 of the Geoducks' 85 points were scored by players who came off the bench.
Both teams struggled to find their footing early but the Bearcats (0-1,0-0 NWC) managed to string together some baskets to take a 19-13 lead midway through the half. Glenn scored six point unanswered to tie the game and Upshaw scored all 12 of his points straight to close out the half and cap off a massive 23-6 run that put Evergreen up 11 points, 36-25, heading into the half.
WU came out the half fired up and slowly chipped away at the Geoducks' lead until they tied the match up 40-40 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the second half. From there, Willamette extended their lead and with just over eight minutes remaining the Bearcats held their highest lead of the game 63-53.
Faced with a double-digit deficit in the waning minutes, Evergreen put on their hardhats and went to work chipping away at WU's lead. With just over two minutes remaining, Deondre Russ scored a fastbreak layup that tied the match up 73-73. With under a minute remaining Michael gave the Geoducks the lead. Evergreen made all of their free throws down the stretch and completed the comeback win 85-82.
No time to rest for the Geoducks as they face Pacific University on November 11th at 6 PM. More information available at gogeoducks.com.
