The 6pm Sweet 16 showdown at the NWAC Men\u2019s Basketball Championship Tournament was a barn burner! The #1 seed from the South Region Portland Community College Panthers, took on the #4 seed from the North, the Bellevue Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
In a dramatic come back, the Panthers, after trailing by 17 with 13 minutes left in the 2nd half, went on a torrid run to win 72-67.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs who shot 48% in the first half built a 10 point lead 34-24 by holding the Panthers to 10 made shots and forcing 10 turnovers.<\/p>\n
The Panthers came out early in the second half and cut the lead to 4 only to see Bellevue push the lead up to 17 points.<\/p>\n
Around the 13 minute mark, the resilient Panthers mounted a charge that forced 13 second half turnovers by the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
Cameron Retherford led the Panthers in scoring with 18 points, followed by super sixth man, Terrell Hicks Jr. with 13 and Brendan Ritschard with 12.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs were led by Ting-Jhao Jian with 21 points and Yonathan Michael with 18 points.<\/p>\n
The Panthers move on tomorrow to play the Community Colleges of Spokane in the Elite 8 at 6pm.<\/p>\n
\u2013 story by NWAC Sports Information<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n