NU's Skillman had 10 points and an assist in a 4 minute span.
Northwest Downs Determined NCU Team
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Northwest University had all they could handle from a young Northwest Christian team as they defeated the Beacons 79-66 in conference play tonight. The game was re-scheduled from Saturday due to the weather conditions and power outages in the Kirkland-Seattle area.
In the first half, Northwest came out firing hitting four 3 point shots for a 12-6 lead over a young NCU team which has just one senior in their starting line-up. With Northwest leading 29-13 at the 9:32 mark, Northwest Christian’s Tyler Fox would sink two free throws to cut the NU lead to twelve, 29-17. A layup by Fox and a Brody McGowan drive the lane for a score would cut the Northwest lead to nine, 34-25 with 5:45 to go in the half. Two straight baskets by the Eagles would increase their lead to 38-25 at the 4:29 mark, but Northwest Christian would scratch away and outscore NU 7 to 1 the remainder of the half to trail by just seven, 39-32.
To start the second half Ahmaad Cook would start the NU scoring off with a jumper to give Northwest a 9 point, 41-32 lead, but then the Beacons would catch fire and outscore the Eagles 14-5 to tie the game at 46-all with 12:53 left in the game. 6-3 freshman, Travis Pacos, would be the catalyst during the run as he scored 4 points, had 2 assists, and grab three rebounds to spark the NCU run. After nine lead changes and four ties, a 3 pointer by Ahmaad Cook would give Northwest a 61-56 lead with 6:58 left on the clock. Ryan Dornik would come off the bench to hit a trey which would increase the NU lead to 64-58 (5:50), but a 3 pointer by Brian Hampton and Jumper by Mitchell Wilson would cut the Eagle lead to three, 66-63, with 4:36 to go in the game. NU’s Rich Skillman would get to the basket for two driving layups and a free throw to give NU breathing room, 71-64 at the 3:55 mark. Skillman would find an open Jason Waltman under the basket for a reverse layup, hit three free throws and drive the basket for another score putting the game away for the Eagles, 78-66, with 36 seconds to go.
Northwest’s (19-2, 9-2 CCC) Skillman led all scorers with 22 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, 7 assists and added 5 steals to his league leading total. Jordan Call finished with 17 points and Ahmaad Cook scored 14 points, hitting all four of his 3 point attempts. Jason Waltman added 9 points and 9 rebounds. NU shot 54% for the game and a blazing 47% from the 3 point line (8 of 17). The Eagles held the edge in rebounding with a 40-34 margin although Northwest Christian grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
Northwest Christian (10-13, 3-8 CCC) leading scorer was freshman Travis Pacos who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Junior Brody McGowan and sophomore Mitchell Wilson each scored 11 points for the Beacons who shot 38% for the game and only 15% from beyond the 3 point arc (3-20).
“Rich Skillman really stepped when we needed him to do so tonight, scoring 10 of our final 12 points” commented coach John Van Dyke. “I proud of the way he’s played and shown senior leadership on this team this season. Jordan Call gives us consistent scoring night in and night out. Our guys continue to look for one another on offense and remain dedicated to defensive side of the game.”
Northwest U. now hits the road this coming weekend for games against Eastern Oregon in La Grande, and the College of Idaho in Caldwell on Friday and Saturday nights. Northwest Christian will host Corban University in Eugene on Friday.