Semifinals of the CCC Men’s Basketball Championship Tip off Tonight
LA GRANDE, Ore. – The semifinals for the 2015-16 Cascade Collegiate Conference Men’s Basketball Championship presented by U.S. Bank are set to begin tonight at 7 p.m.
No. 5 Oregon Tech (23-8, 12-8 CCC) at No. 1 Northwest Christian (25-6, 17-3 CCC)
7 p.m. PST – Eugene, Ore.
Top-seeded Northwest Christian survived a strong appearance from eighth-seed Northwest in the quarterfinal round, winning 66-60, after being down at halftime, to advance to the semifinals. Omar Richards was the leading scorer for the Beacons with 22 points and added seven rebounds.
Fifth-seed Oregon Tech pulled off a slight upset on the road against fourth-seed College of Idaho, winning 79-58 to keep head coach Danny Miles’ last season alive. Lavar Moore was the big offensive weapon for the Owls, tallying 24 points on the night.
Both teams split the regular season competitions, with OIT winning the most recent matchup in Eugene 72-59 over the Beacons.
No. 3 Warner Pacific (22-8, 16-4 CCC) at No. 2 Southern Oregon (24-7, 16-4 CCC)
7 p.m. PST – Ashland, Ore.
Second-seed Southern Oregon was another quarterfinal winner that found themselves in a close battle, defeating seventh-seeded Corban 71-68. Four players scored in double figures for the Raiders as Ben DeSaulnier led with 15 points.
Third-seeded Warner Pacific used 26 points from Taylor Young to hold off visiting sixth-seed Eastern Oregon 80-71 to advance to the semifinals. Down by 20-points, Eastern attempted a surge to get back in the game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.
The Knights fell in both regular season games to Southern Oregon, losing an 18-point lead in Ashland before dropping the final game against the Raiders at home after a buzzer beater by DeSaulnier.
Saturday's winners battle for a CCC championship on Tuesday, March 1, at the home of the highest remaining seed in the tournament. Tip-off will be set for 7 p.m.