Knight Men Own Second Half Versus OIT
PORTLAND, Ore. - The clash between Warner Pacific and Oregon Tech was competitive for a half, but the Knights owned the final 20 minutes in a 103-66 win over the Owls tonight at Bart Valentine Court.
The Short Story
Warner Pacific and Oregon Tech were separated by one spot in the Cascade Conference standings heading into the key matchup in Portland, but it was the host Knights that made the statement with a strong performance and important CCC win. WPC held a slim advantage at halftime (47-40), but played a near flawless second period to secure the comfortable victory.
Warner Pacific made 22 of 36 shot attempts after the break, while holding OIT to 22 percent (8 of 37).
Earl Jones was the instigator for WPC in the first half, dropping in 15 points on a variety of driving baskets and jump shots. He was nearly matched by OIT's Lavar Moore (12 points) who was deadly from behind the arc, making four three pointers - two from several feet behind the line.
The teams traded the lead three times in the first half, but Warner Pacific closed the period on a 6-0 run to gain the upper hand.
WPC proceeded to score the first 11 points of the second half and the rout was on. Later,
Adam Westfall splashed consecutive three pointers to push the Knight advantage to 25 points. Joel Yellow Owl did his best to keep OIT in the game, but his eight points were not enough.
Taylor Young continued his stellar play for the Knights with 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Jones ended with 21 points and seven assists.