TACOMA, Wash. — Puget Sound men's basketball earns first Northwest Conference win in 74-69 rivalry win against Pacific Lutheran University on Tuesday night in Memorial Fieldhouse.  

Taj Phillips led the victory with 14 points going 5-for-9 from the floor adding seven assists to the board, while freshman Zane Miller followed close behind with 13 points going 3-for-5 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the 3-point line. Freshman Hugo Rutherford nearly had a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds, three of which were offensive. 

The Loggers and the Lutes maintained a back-and-forth momentum tying it up 16-16 at 8:02 left in the first half when the Loggers went on a 10-0 stretch led by Miller with five points that landed them a 35-27 lead going into halftime. The Logger bench dropped 20 points in the first half. 

The Loggers pushed for another 10-point streak in the middle of the second half, Will Mathews scored five in the charge. The Lutes fought back with two 3-point plays with an 11-3 run of their own. The Lutes tightened the gap to just three points with 1:00 left in regulation, but the Loggers strong defense forced the Lutes to miss two three point shots and earned the victory. Liam Ruttledge finished with 10 points and six boards, while the Loggers finished the second half with a 53.8% shooting percentage. 

The Loggers continue at home for a non-conference game against Northwest Indian College on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. in Memorial Fieldhouse.