Final Four Finish: Roadrunners fall to Pirates in NWAC final four

Roadrunner men’s basketball finished their historic season with a 89-75 loss to the Peninsula Pirates in the NWAC final four on Saturday, March 17.

After beating the Edmonds Tritons and the defending champion Walla Walla Warriors on March 10 and 11, the Roadrunners traveled back to Everett, Washington to make the program’s final four debut.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with both teams matching one another throughout. Despite LB losing the rebounding battle and the turnover battle the Roadrunners were able to head into the half only down 43-40.

Peninsula was able to get to the free throw line frequently in the second half. The Pirates earned 20 free throws in the second half alone and shot 27-32 from the line throughout the game, while the Roadrunners only shot 4-6 from the free throw line in the game. Free throws down the stretch and winning the rebounding battle 47-29 ultimately made the difference for the Pirates as they held off LB to close out the game 89-75.

Taylor Jensen lead the Roadrunners in scoring with 17, Trey Ecker finished with 10 points, and Trent Van Cleave dished out 6 assists.

Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Roadrunners still had a historic run. They were the first team in LB program history to reach the NWAC final four, the first team in the program to be a part of back-to-back winning seasons since the 1970s, and the first Roadrunner squad to have a 20 win season.