NCC Sinks Cascade in OT Thriller
EUGENE, Ore. -- The Northwest Christian College women’s basketball team opened the start of Cascade Collegiate Conference play on Friday night, with a thrilling 103-95 overtime victory over Cascade College at the Morse Event Center. The Beacons hit 13-of-16 from the free throw line in the overtime session, to improve to 5-4 on the year and earn the school’s opening Cascade conference victory in the program’s inaugural conference matchup.
Guard Jacquie Lipp came off the bench to score 22 points on the night, including 11 of the team’s 21 points in the overtime period. Lipp’s heroics began at the end of regulation, with the Beacons trailing 82-79, and with 19 seconds remaining forward Elise Gray found Lipp on the right side of the perimeter to send the game into overtime. Center Emily Gray scored a team-high 23 points, with seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
“I was focused coming out of our team’s last huddle (in regulation),” said guard Jacquie Lipp. “After I hit the shot to send the game into overtime, I ran back to the sideline and told the team we weren’t going to lose this game after we had fought so hard to regain the momentum.”
The Beacons opened up the second half on a 15-5 run during the opening four minutes of the second stanza, and the Thunderbirds (6-3, 0-1 CCC) responded by containing the NCC offense to only one field goal over the next four and half minutes of play.
Six Beacons players scored in double figures on the evening, as forwards Elise Gray and McKenzie Gambee each scored 12 points each and guards Lori Renner and Amy Croll each added 11 points. It was Croll that contributed nine assists and four steals, and shot 9-of-12 (5-of-6 in overtime) from the free throw line.
Northwest Christian returns to action Saturday night, when the Beacons host the Warner Pacific Knights at 5:30 pm at the Morse Event Center.