PORTLAND, Ore. – Gage Aker scored a career-high 30 points and Austin Dunn scored 13 points in the final minutes to help Concordia pull away to an 88-78 Cascade Collegiate Conference men’s basketball victory over Northwest Conference Friday night at Cavalier Gymnasium.

 

The win improves Concordia’s record to 6-10 overall, 1-5 in conference play. Northwest Christian falls to 7-11 overall, 1-5 in the CCC, with the loss.

 

Aker made nine of 11 shot attempts in the first 20 minutes en route to tying his previous career-high of 24 points before halftime. The junior point guard sank all six of his free throw attempts in the first period and added three rebounds and four assists in the half. Adam Herman scored 13 for the Cavs on 5-of-6 shooting in the period as the duo combined for 37 of CU’s 45 first-half points.

 

The first half featured eight ties and five lead changes as the teams went back and forth for the first 13 minutes. With the score tied at 28 with 7:08 remaining before the half, Concordia opened a 15-5 run to take a 10-point lead at 43-33 less than two minutes before the break. Northwest Christian scored the next four points to pull within four, but a pair of free throws by Aker put the Cavs up eight at halftime, 45-37.

 

Northwest Christian opened the second half on a 10-4 run to pull within two points at 49-47 with 17:22 to play. Concordia pushed the lead back to two possessions for most of the next 10 minutes, including a seven-point lead at 67-60 with 9:26 remaining, but a pair of Mitch Wilson free throws evened the score with just over five minutes left at 71-71.

 

Adam Herman’s layup gave the Cavs a 73-71 lead, and that was when Dunn took over for Concordia. He scored 13 of CU’s final 15 points in the contest, including eight straight points to give CU a nine-point lead with 40 seconds left. His free throws with two seconds remaining closed out the 88-78 win for Concordia.

 

Aker (Portland, Ore./Wilson H.S.) compiled five assists, five rebounds and four steals to go with his career-high 30 points. Herman (Vancouver, Wash./Prairie H.S.) scored 25 and grabbed seven rebounds for CU. Dunn (Vancouver, Wash./Mountain View H.S.) finished with 15 points, all in the second half, and Drew Preuninger (Camas, Wash./Camas H.S.) added 11 for the Cavaliers.

 

Quentin Guidry scored 25 points to lead Northwest Christian. Kellen Spicer added 20 and Cameron Marshall finished with 16.

 

Concordia returns to action Saturday when the Cavs host Corban in a CCC contest scheduled for 5:30 p.m. NCU will travel across town to face Warner Pacific College.