PORTLAND | The Warner Pacific University Men's Basketball team (4-2, 1-0) managed to extend their win-streak after their conference opener victory earlier this week, downing NCAA DIII Pacific Lutheran University (2-2, 0-0) in the first round of a Post-Thanksgiving Tournament by a final of 73-62.

In their first pre-season tourney since the Frank Dye Classic, Warner Pacific came out of the gate a bit slower than their normal fast-paced gameplay, unable to convert consistently on the offensive end. Despite their lack of scoring early, the Knights managed to keep within striking distance of the Lutes, who also struggled offensively during this game.

After a back-and-forth first half of action, the Knights took a 2-point lead going into halftime, but could have optimized their possessions at a much higher rate. With PLU shooting slightly better from the field than the Knights, Warner Pacific was lucky to still be out in front of this contest. The Lutes would also be looking to shake things up in the second half, as they shot a lowly 40% from the free-throw line for the first 20 minutes of action.

The Knights would hold the Lutes scoreless for the first two minutes of the second half, extending their lead to 9 points before PLU guard Sam Noland would rattle in a 3-pointer to break the drought. From that moment on, the Lutes would come no closer than a 4-point score differential, as Warner Pacific continued to up the offensive intensity as the evening progressed.

In spite of their game-high 17 fouls, the Knights squad played this game to their level of comfort, forcing the Lutes into shots they weren't comfortable with making, and converting a majority of their second-chance opportunities. Warner Pacific also saw 26 points from players coming off the bench, compared to the 8 points Pacific Lutheran bench players managed to tally.

The highlight of the night was Warner Pacific's ability to flip turnovers from the Lutes into points, as the Knights outscored Pacific Lutheran 29-7 on points off turnovers. While the Knights turned the ball over only 3 less times than the Lutes, WPU was extremely consistent on the defensive end, resulting in the 22-point differential.

Warner Pacific was led both in scoring and 3-point shooting by senior guard Isaac Etter, who caught fire from three-point range in the second half and scored a game-high 18 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 4 for 5 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Drew Magaoay impressed for the Knights as well, scoring 12 points and bringing down a game-high 9 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive rebounds that allowed the Knights time to regain their composure on second-chance possessions.

Senior guard Tyrese Yussuf-Willis continues to lead this Knights' offense as the playmaker, dishing out 6 assists in route to 8 points and 4 rebounds of his own over his team-high 29 minutes played.

Offensively for Pacific Lutheran, guard Seth Hall led the team in scoring with 16 points, while Noland added 11 for the Lutes. With a short bench tonight, PLU's starters all handled a heavy workload of 30+ minutes apiece, yet still managed to keep out of foul trouble throughout the game with their disciplined ball control and play execution on both ends of the court.

The Knights are back in action in round two of this tournament tomorrow night against the tournament hosts, NCAA DIII Lewis & Clark College, with tipoff set for 6pm PST. Those that aren't in the area or unable to attend the game can once again catch all the action live on Lewis & Clark's streaming/live stats home page.