MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University men’s basketball team was held to just 37% shooting as they fell to NCAA Division II Western Oregon University 81-64 on Monday night. The Beacons struggled all night from the perimeter, shooting a season-low 18.8% (3-for-16) from three-point range. Defensively, they allowed the host Wolves to knock down 67% of their shots from beyond the arc (10-for-15).
The Beacons (9-4) started the game strong, jumping out to a 9-2 lead after a three-pointer from Erik Quick-Warner at the 14:50 mark. With the NCU defense clicking early, their momentum took a big hit when Andrew Miller picked up his second foul of the half just a minute later. The Wolves went on a 26-8 run over the next seven minutes, and ended up heading into the half with a 42-30 advantage. Western knocked down 7-of-9 three pointers over the first twenty minutes.
In the second half, it was more of the same from the Wolves. They continued their hot shooting, with NCU defenders struggling to contest perimeter shots and getting beat on the boards. Western was bigger than the Beacons at every position and used their size to their advantage, outrebounding NCU 40-26. The Wolves also recorded 17 assists as a team, compared to just nine for the Beacons.
“Offensively, we had open looks tonight, but we can’t be hesitant to shoot,” Miller said. “More importantly, we have to take a hard look at what we need to do on defense to get to the top of our league.”
Miller led the NCU with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Ben Voogd added 13 points and three assists, but was held to just 4-for-12 shooting. Quick-Warner scored 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Brent McKee brought down a team-high six rebounds (four offensive), and Michael Van Loon brought down five boards. The Beacon reserves had a difficult time producing on offense, as Western’s bench outscored NCU 28-12.
“Western Oregon came prepared and ready to play tonight,” said Associate Head Coach Mark Holmes. “They’re big and athletic, which posed tough matchups. I think we took a couple steps backward on the defensive end. We have a lot of soul searching to do, and we need to find five guys who want to get after it on defense.”
Sophomore Kyle Long led the Wolves with a career-high 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Matt Schmidt came off the bench to add 15 points and five assists, while Blair Wheadon and Tarance Glynn scored 11 points each. Rico Myles pulled down a game-high ten rebounds, five of which were offensive. NCU forced Western into 14 turnovers, but their 55% shooting and strong effort on the boards were too much to handle. With the win, the Wolves improve to 5-2 on the season.
The Beacons return to action on December 21 at home for a conference matchup against Northwest University. The Eagles are 6-5 (2-0) after upset wins over Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho, but most recently are coming off a 67-64 loss to Pacific Lutheran University. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.