Hustlin’ Owls Fly Past Beacons
02.17.2012
Oregon Tech's Bobby Hunter (No. 23) Had 19 Points in Win Over NCU (Photo by Kelly Caleb)  |
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Tech, the top ranked team in the NAIA, clinched at least a share of the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season crown for the fifth time in the last six seasons by knocking off Northwest Christian, 80-66 in the Morse Event Center.
It was the Beacons that had an early advantage, going up 5-0 on baskets from Trevor Parker and Brody McGowan. The Owls quickly got their feet under them and used a 12-2 run to take a lead that they would never relinquish. OIT went ahead by as many as 19 points in the half before taking a 47-30 lead into the intermission.
Head Coach Corey Anderson said, “OIT is ranked #1 for a reason. They are a talented group of guys that really plays well together. Energy-wise, we were even with them for the first few minutes but we started to turn the ball over too much. They started converting our turnovers into layups and dunks and it was uphill game for us after that.
Northwest Christian never backed down in the second half and eventually out-scored the Owls over the final twenty minutes to, 36-33. Oregon Tech maintained a healthy lead throughout the period, never letting the Beacons get closer than twelve points.
Oregon Tech (26-3, 15-2 CCC) was led by freshman Bobby Hunter, scoring 19 points while adding four steals and three assists. Kyle Gomez scored 17 points and led all players with seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Scotty Riddle added 14 points and David Clarke finished the game with eleven points, five boards and three assists.
Northwest Christian (11-18, 4-13) was led off the bench by Jordan Buhler, scoring 12 points. Mitch Wilson added ten points and Travis Pacos finished with seven points and three steals. Jordan Myers led NCU with five assists. Tyler Fox came off the bench in the second half to hit a pair of three pointers, finishing with eight points.
The loss for NCU pushes the Beacons one game behind The College of Idaho for eighth place in the CCC after the Coyotes defeated Concordia on Friday night. NCU will need a win on Saturday, coupled with a C of I loss to #10 Warner Pacific to force a tie-breaker. Should that occur, NCU will face a coin-flip for the final spot in the CCC post-season tournament.
Oregon Tech will look to claim the conference championship outright against Corban University in Salem on Saturday night; game time is slotted for 7:30 pm.
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