EUGENE, Ore. –It was a collapse of epic proportions on Friday night as the Concordia Cavaliers close out the game on a 21-0 run to defeat host Northwest Christian University, 78-76 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. The Beacons had led 76-57 with 6:17 to play but never found the net the rest of the way.
Northwest Christian had been well in control of the game and looked to be cruising into a possible tie for sixth place in the CCC. Then all at once, everything seemed to turn. Concordia lost starting point guard Gage Aker to an ankle injury and the Cavaliers seemed to rally around him, buckling down on defense and capitalizing on five NCU turnovers during the final stretch.
Adam Herman (pictured) was the star for Concordia. After scoring just four points in the first half, the sophomore finished with 24. He scored 13 points during the game-ending stretch including the final ten points of the game over the last two minutes.
“The locker room was pretty numb after the game,” said NCU Head Coach Corey Anderson. “We definitely got comfortable and you can’t do that at this level. They are college basketball players too. My hat goes off to Coach Barbarick and the team for continuing to play hard. A lot of teams would have packed it in at that point. We couldn’t get any stops and everything we did wrong they capitalized on.”
Concordia (10-8, 3-5 CCC) was led by Herman’s 10-for-16 effort, which included a pair of three-pointers, two assists and four steals. Jourdan Sweeney added twelve points and two blocks and Kevan West also scored twelve. Drew Preuninger scored nine points, all on three-pointers in the first ten minutes of the game. The Cavs ended the game shooting 56% and outrebounded NCU, 32-30. Concordia also collected 23 turnovers but was 6-for-11 from three-point range.
Northwest Christian (9-11, 2-6) was led by Mitch Wilson, finishing with a career-high 20 points as he shot 9-for-15 from the field, adding two assists and a team-high three steals. Brody McGowan scored 14 points and six rebounds and Brian Hampton added eleven points, hitting a trio of three-pointers. Travis Pacos led all players with eight rebounds, including five on the offensive end. He scored six points. The Beacons shot 48% from the field, but dropped that low after a 0-for-7 stretch over the final six minutes.
NCU will be back in action on Saturday night as they play host to #8 Warner Pacific (15-4, 7-1 CCC). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.