Raiders rally to fend off Northwest's upset bid, 90-87

12/18/2016 3:47:00 PM

SOU Sports Information

ASHLAND – Autumn Durand and Toria Bradford made sure fourth-ranked Southern Oregon passed its first big test of the Cascade Conference schedule Sunday, a come-from-behind 90-87 win over Northwest (Wash.) at Mountain Avenue Gym.

Durand racked up 28 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks, and Bradford scored a career-high 22 points and four steals in helping the Raiders (11-1 overall, 4-0 CCC) erase what was a 16-point deficit in the first quarter. Durand and Sydney Mullings combined for 15 fourth-quarter points, and Durand's put-back with 3:16 remaining put the Raiders up for good, 84-82.

Bradford went 11-for-12 at the free-throw line and hit a pair with 18 seconds left to put the Raiders up 88-85. After NU's Charmaine Bradford hit a mid-range jumper at the other end, SOU's Bradford pushed SOU's lead to three points again by hitting two free throws with four seconds left.

Needing to go the length of the floor, Northwest's inbounds pass ended up in Charmaine Bradford's hands after a deflection. She had a clear path to a potential game-tying shot but dribbled inside the 3-point line, and her jumper rimmed out as time expired.

SOU's conference home winning streak went to 23 games. This one was the first closer than seven points.

Miranda Langenhorst, Northwest's 6-foot-1 post, was mostly responsible for that. She went 13-for-16 from the field, recording 29 points and 18 rebounds. Most of her looks were easy ones at the basket, either after offensive rebounds or after the Eagles had gotten through SOU's zone defense. Hannah Carlson, her partner in the frontcourt, often fed her and ended up with 12 points and seven assists.

The Eagles went 12-for-17 from the field, including 5-of-7 from downtown, in the first quarter. Mariah Stacona's 3-pointer had them up 28-12. Durand slashed the lead with 12 points in the second quarter, but Victoria Makin's banked-in triple at the buzzer made it 52-44 at halftime.

The Raiders chipped away, even taking their first lead at 66-65 near the end of the third, before going back and forth in the final period. Down 82-78 after a Stacona triple with 4:42 left, Mullings got loose for a jumper inside. A minute later, Toria Bradford stole the ball from Carlson and found Tiani Bradford at the other end for a game-tying layup.

Tiani Bradford finished with 12 points and five assists, and Casey Williams contributed eight points and eight boards off the bench. The Raiders were outshot from the field – Northwest went 33-for-69 and SOU went 29-for-68 – and made just six 3-pointers to NU's 11, but they capitalized again at the free-throw line. At 26-for-30, they shot 87 percent – right at their average over the last eight games.

The Raiders are off until Dec. 30 and 31, when they'll play in Portland at Multnomah and Warner Pacific.