Pioneers fall to Western Washington to cap Sodexo Tip-Off Classic

  • November 20, 2010



SEATTLE, Wash. - The Pioneer men's basketball team lost to Western Washington, 98-82, on the second and final day of the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic at Seattle Pacific on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers (1-2) bested their previous scoring high by nearly 20 points, but it was not enough to top the Vikings, who saw six players hit double digits in scoring.

Western Washington never trailed in the first half and led by as many as 15 points at 47-32 with 2:14 left. The Pioneers headed to the half trailing by just nine after ending the first period with a 6-0 run that included a pair of jumpers from senior Jared Waters and sophomore Mark Samuels.

Will Freedman scored eight of the Pioneers' first 10 points to open the second half to pull East Bay within one at 49-48 with 17:18 remaining. Minutes later, a Roshun Wynne three-pointer tied the game at 55 with 15:28 left.

The Vikings responded to the early Pioneer surge with a 15-2 run fueled by Shedrick Nelson's 11 points to take a 70-57 advantage.

Western Washington maintained a 13-point margin with 11:23 left and secured its lead for the remainder of the second half.

Western Washington shot a sizzling 65.3 percent from the field compared to 45.5% for the Pioneers.

Mark Samuels led the Pioneers in scoring with 26 points and added five assists. Freedman ended with 24 points on 11-of-15 from the field and led the Pioneers on the boards with seven rebounds. Wynne converted four three-pointers to finish with 16 points.

Michael Duty paced Western Washington with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field. Derek Dickerson came off the bench to nail four three-pointers and end with 14 points. Nelson followed with 13.

Samuels was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 17.5 points and shooting 46 percent from the floor in the Pioneers' two losses. The Berkeley native also added seven assists and three steals in the tournament.

Dixie State's Tom Whitehead received MVP honors after guiding his team to the only undefeated record in the four-team tournament. Seattle Pacific’s Chris Banchero and Andy Poling and Western Washington's Rory Blanche joined Samuels and Whitehead on the All-Tournament Team.

The Pioneers take a break from competition before returning to action on Dec. 3 when they open the CCAA season in the Battle of the Bay at San Francisco State.