Aker Leads CU to Win Over NCC
EUGENE, Ore. -- Cody Aker scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half as Concordia University outlasted Northwest Christian College in an even match on Saturday night, 68-65. Both teams shot 46% from the field and the teams were tied four times over the final ten minutes. Both teams had 31 rebounds and although the Beacons shot 50% from three-point range and hit eleven total from the perimeter, Aker helped put it away with a clutch trey under two minutes.
The Beacons (8-14, 5-7 Cascade Collegiate Conference) trailed by eight points with under eight minutes to play in the first half but Jordan Whittenburg hit a trio from three-point range and Peter Nelson added a pair of field goals to give NCC a brief two point lead before settling for a 29-29 score at the intermission.
Josh Jarrett opened the second frame with four straight points and back-to-back field goals from Whittenburg gave Northwest Christian a 40-33 lead with 15:49 to play. Then Aker put the ache on for CU, scoring ten straight points for the Cavs as part of a 12-1 run that saw Concordia grab a 45-41 lead just five minutes later.
The play went back-and-forth for the next five minutes as the teams were tied four times. With the score tied at 56-56 with 5:06 to play, the Beacon shooters went cold. CU hit a pair of three-pointers, including the second one from Aker with 1:50 to play, giving the Cavs a 62-56 edge. Northwest Christian worked hard to stay in the game, getting late threes from Whittenburg and Jarrett, but the Cavaliers were able to ice the game at the line as Meray and Ryan Johnson each hit a pair. A final layup from Meray as time ran out ended the contest.
Whittenburg finished the night with 21 off the bench, ending a tough stretch that saw him shooting just 4-of-24 from three point range over the preceding four games. He was 5-for-10 tonight from outside. Nelson added 18 points for the Beacons, hitting 4-for-7 from three-point range and Jarrett finished the night with 17 points, six rebounds and three steals. Andrew Miller pulled down game-highs with seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots.
Concordia (11-10, 7-5 CCC) had the strong night from Aker (22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals) along with strong performances from Meray with 16 points and Matt Ochs with 14, shooting 7-for-10 from the field.