WHEATON, Ill. - Taking the floor on unlucky Friday the 13th, the seventh-ranked Puget Sound Loggers were unable to do what 29 teams had unsuccessfully tried to do earlier this season, falling to undefeated and top-ranked St. Thomas, 86-69, in the Sectional Round of the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship at King Arena on the campus of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.

In the first half, it looked like St. Thomas (30-0) would control the Loggers (25-4) but the Loggers climbed out of an 11-point deficit with 11:53 left to go in the first half, eventually tying the game up with 3:25 left to play in the first period. The Tommies used a run of their own to take an eight-point lead into the break, 46-38.

In the second half, the Tommies should why they are the top-ranked team in the country, rebuilding a double-digit lead and closing any gaps the Loggers tried to open for a comeback. St. Thomas shot 61.9% from the field in pulling away as they collected the 86-69 victory to advance to the Sectional Final on Saturday evening against either third-ranked Wheaton or second-ranked Washington (Mo.).

Jason Foster (Spanaway, Wash./Henry Foss) led the way for the Loggers in his final collegiate contest, scoring 23 points and bringing down five rebounds. Foster finishes his career with 1,626 points, which moved him past Curt Peterson for third all-time on the Logger career scoring list. Antwan Williams (Portland, Ore./Madison) added 10 points for Puget Sound, also dishing out a game-high six assists. Puget Sound was strong from the free throw line in their final game of the season, making 23-of-27 attempts.

St. Thomas was led by 19 points, including four-for-five from three point range, from Joe Scott. B.J. Viau added 18 points while Tyler Nicolai chipped in 13 in the win. The Tommies shot 54.4% from the field for the game, including 57.1% (8-14) from three-point range.

The Loggers, who earlier this season set a school record for consecutive wins at 19 in a row, finish the season with a record of 25-4, including a perfect 16-0 in Northwest Conference regular season games.

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