PORTLAND, Ore. – Down 15 points midway through the second half, No. 7-seeded Eastern Oregon University rallied for a 69-68 win over No. 2-seeded No. 10 Concordia University on a go-ahead layup with 14 seconds remaining to advance to the CCC tournament semifinal round.
Bryan McGriff drove through the CU defense to the right side of the rim and converted while falling to the floor to give Eastern (15-14) its first lead since the 8:35 mark of the first half. Anthony Holton and Thomas Pierce couldn't convert last-second tries on the other end, sending the Mountaineers into celebration at Cavalier Gymnasium.
Concordia (24-6), ranked No. 10 in the latest NAIA DII Coaches' Poll, appeared to be in control for much of the second half, extending the lead to double digits after leading by seven at the break. Minutes later, a small 6-0 run put the Cavaliers up 51-36, and it appeared the hosts would put the game away.
Undaunted, EOU went on a 14-5 run to cut the lead to just six. The Mountaineers heated up while the Cavs' offense petered out, as Kalvin Johansen and Case Rada scored all of their combined 23 points after intermission.
Concordia took a 68-60 lead with 3:37 left, but couldn't hold on as the Mountaineers scored the final nine points to earn the upset. The Cavs failed to make a field goal after Justyn Searle's layup with 6:24 to play.
Throughout it all, McGriff was the steadying force for the visitors, scoring 13 points in each half while digging out rebounds and putting in tough shots around the basket. De'Sean Mattox also had 11 points to join McGriff, Rada and Johansen in double figures.
Thomas Pierce led Concordia with 21 points, while Tyler Velasquez had 15 and Searle added 10.
Eastern Oregon advances to the CCC semifinals against top-seeded No. 6 College of Idaho. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 in Caldwell, Idaho.
Concordia will wait for the NAIA National Tournament bracket to be released to learn their postseason fate, but with a top-10 national ranking the Cavaliers are all but assured a spot in the 32-team tourney.