KIRKLAND – Northwest wowed the crowd with a spectacular first half and glided home for a 91-78 victory over Pacific Lutheran in a non-conference game on Saturday.
 
NU hit nine of its first 10 three-pointers and shot 71 percent overall in the first half to lead 62-41 at the half.
 
It was a big night for Lewis Pope, who had 25 of his 35 points in the first half. CaCoa Chatman had an impressive night himself, getting 20 points.
 
"We shared the ball," said NU Head Coach Rick Skeen. "Everyone was unselfish and it was a great thing to see. Ever since we've gone to this smaller lineup we've scored 80 or 90 points. It was a big night for Lewis. We knew he could play like he did tonight, we've just been waiting to see it."
 
The Eagles actually started slowly with three turnovers and two missed shots in their first five possessions. Chatman got the offense rolling with seven points in a 10-2 run to take a 10-6 lead.
 
Northwest had a modest 16-11 lead when the three-point barrage began. Pope hit three, Devontae Powell had two each and Chatman and Drew Bryson added one each in a 21-2 run. All 21 points were on three-pointers with no misses in the spree that left the Eagles ahead 37-13 with 8:06 remaining in the half.
 
Brody Steinhart and Anthony Howard got in on the three-point show later in the half and the Eagles led 62-41 at the half.
 
Pacific Lutheran had a strong second-half effort and was able to get within eight points midway through the half.
 
"We have shown our ability to score but the question remains: can we play defense," said Skeen. " Pacific Lutheran does a lot of things well and they made it hard for us to guard them. But I'm pleased with the effort all of our guys gave us tonight."
 
AJ Chappell and Pope led the Eagles with four assists.
 
Isaiah Williams cleaned up the backboards for six rebounds and Chatman led the defense with four steals.
 
NU finished the game shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 58.3 percent (14-24) from three-point range.
 
The Eagles return to Cascade Collegiate Conference action next weekend with a trip to Oregon. NU plays at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Oregon Tech before visiting Southern Oregon on Saturday for a 5 p.m. contest.