COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. -- The Evergreen State College rolled past Walla Walla University 117-91 on Friday, Jan. 16 for the team's third win in its last four Cascade Collegiate Conference games. Eight Geoducks scored at least eight points, led by senior wing
Tony Frohlich-Fair with 32 points. Jordan Jackson topped the Wolves with 27 points.
The Geoducks upped their record to 3-8 overall, 3-6 in the CCC. Evergreen's 117 points were six short of the school record of 123, set against Malaspina (now Vancouver Island University) on Nov. 29, 2003. Walla Walla dropped to 0-15 on the season, 0-9 in the CCC.
Frohlich-Fair was 9 of 13 from the field, hit two 3-pointers, and went 12 for 14 at the free throw line. He also contributed four rebounds, four assists, four steals, and one block. Frohlich-Fair leads the CCC with 24.3 points per game.
Kenzel Massey (So., G) tacked on 19 points for the Geoducks and was 4 for 6 on 3-pointers. He blocked two shots.
Jacob Laff (So., W) was credited with 12 points, a team-high six rebounds, and three assists.
Bradley Graham (Sr., G) added 10 points.
Kohrey Bridges (Sr., F) and
Zach Jefferson (Sr., G) each scored nine points, with Bridges adding eight rebounds. Junior guards
Tyler No and
Jayson Mathews each provided Evergreen with eight points.
Jackson's 27 points for Walla Walla included a 9-for-18 effort on field goals. He made three 3-point shots, 6 for 6 on free throws, and recorded four steals. Soren Dalan achieved 20 points, seven boards, and three steals. Chike Ezeonu also scored 20 points, as he hit 7 of 10 field goals and made 6 of 7 free throws. Sam Maher led the Wolves with nine rebounds.
Evergreen shot 59.1% for the game (39 of 66). The Geoducks connected on 12 of 27 three-pointers (46.2%) and made 27 of 33 free throws (81.8%). Evergreen claimed a 40-34 rebounding edge.
Walla Walla hit 30 of 71 field goals (42.3%), including 5 of 18 on 3-pointers (27.8%). The Wolves finished 26 of 29 at the free throw line (89.7%).
The Geoducks tallied the first six points of the game, but Walla Walla pulled within a single point three times before the Wolves grabbed a 12-11 lead on a jumper by Ezeonu with 15:05 remaining in the half. Evergreen regained the lead and later held a 24-16 advantage after Mathews put through two free throws with 11:32 left.
A traditional three-point play by Dalan of Walla Walla cut the margin to five points, but the Geoducks countered with a 9-2 surge to take a 33-21 lead at the 8:03 mark. The run featured two 3-pointers by Massey and one 3-pointer by Frohlich-Fair. Evergreen held a double-digit lead for the rest of the first half and owned a 55-43 advantage at the intermission.
Leading scorers in the first half for the Geoducks were Frohlich-Fair with 17 points and Massey with 11 points. Ezeonu earned 12 points for Walla Walla during the first 20 minutes.
The Wolves pulled within six points two times in the first four minutes of the second half, including 61-55 on a layup by Ezeonu with 16:26 on the clock Evergreen put together a 14-4 run to expand the lead to 75-59 after Frohlich-Fair made a pair of free throws with 12:44 to go. Later, the Geoducks took a 92-70 lead on an old-fashioned three-point play by Laff with 8:22 left. Walla Walla cut the margin to 97-85 when Ezeonu hit two free throws with 5:18 remaining.
A 3-pointer by Jefferson ended Walla Walla's rally and put the Geoducks in front 100-85. Including Jefferson's trifecta, the Geoducks ended the game with a 20-6 run.
Evergreen will play at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, in a CCC game on Saturday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. PST.
