Terriel Thomas posted his second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds
Raiders Upset No. 17 Warner Pacific 81-69
BOX SCORE
ASHLAND – Southern Oregon shot 50 percent from the field and used a 10-4 run in the final minutes to pull away from No. 17 Warner Pacific as the Raiders upset the Knights 81-69 in a tense Cascade Collegiate Conference men’s basketball game Friday night at Bob Riehm Arena.
The win improves Southern Oregon’s record to 12-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play, while Warner Pacific fell to 12-4 overall and 4-1 in the CCC. The Raiders return to action Jan. 7, when they will host No. 3 Oregon Tech with a possible spot atop the conference standings on the line.
Terriel Thomas posted his second double-double in as many days to lead SOU, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and a pair of assists. Eric Thompson added 17 points, six rebounds and three steals. Kyle Tedder finished with 15 points, six assists and six rebounds and Jordan Highland posted 12 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists.
William Sharp’s 24 points led both teams, and Biniam Tadele added 16 for Warner Pacific. The Knights connected on only 32.8 percent of their shots (20-of-61) in the contest, while SOU hit an even 50 percent from the field (27-of-54).
The Raiders took an early eight-point lead at 13-5 in the opening minutes, but the Knights scored the next 11 points to grab what would prove to be their largest lead of the night at 16-13. A Thomas layup ended the WPC run and sparked a 15-6 SOU stretch that gave the Raiders a six point advantage late in the first half.
Southern Oregon held a 34-31 halftime lead and opened the second half on a 9-3 run to push its lead back to nine points. Warner Pacific put together a seven-point streak entirely from free throws to pull within two at 43-41 with 12:47 to play. A Tedder layup began a seven-point SOU streak that was capped by a Dex Daum three-pointer with 11:29 remaining.
The Raiders’ lead reached double-figures for the first time when Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 55-45 with 9:22 remaining. A few minutes later, Highland’s layup put SOU up 61-48 to mark the Raiders’ largest lead of the game.
Dane Johnson responded with a three-pointer at the other end of the court, and Tadele followed an SOU turnover with a trey of his own to get WPC back into the game. The Knights pulled within five when Sharp’s layup made it 63-58 with 4:35 to go, but Thompson dropped a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to push SOU’s advantage back to eight points.
Tedder and Thompson each made free throws down the stretch, and Thomas scored the final four points for the Raiders to help seal the 81-69 upset victory.
The conference matchup grew tense in the second half and saw three technical fouls in the period.