Tiara Chinn scored a game-high 17 points for Multnomah in the Lions' 58-52 home loss to Northwest in the CCC opener for both teams Friday.
NORTHWEST 58, MULTNOMAH 52: Closing Rush Lifts Eagles over Lions in CCC Opener
PORTLAND, Ore. – In a back-and-forth affair that saw 15 lead changes, it was a game-closing 7-0 run that lifted the visiting Northwest University (Wash.) Eagles over the Multnomah University Lions 58-52 in the Cascade College Conference women's basketball opener for both teams Friday evening here at Lytle Gym.
After five swaps of leads in the first time minutes of the game, the Lions forged ahead with an 8-0 on a layup by Faith Kraatz, a three-pointer by Bethany George, and a traditional three-point play by Tiara Chinn to take an 18-11 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter. The Lions' lead reached eight at 26-18 with 5:18 left in the second quarter on another trey by George, but the Eagles rallied with a 12-2 outburst to finish the half, Mariah Stacona's jumper with five seconds to go giving the visitors a 30-28 edge at the break.
Hannah Carlson opened the third period with a layup to give Northwest a 32-28 lead, but that was the largest margin of entire quarter. A three by Chinn with 1:26 remaining was enough to give the Lions a 43-41 advantage entering the final period. There were five lead exchanges in the fourth quarter, Paris Sanders' jumper giving Multnomah its final lead of 52-51 at the 3:53 mark, but the Lions went scoreless the rest of the way, missing their last seven shots. Kalee Fowler's jumper at 2:26 put the Eagles ahead for good, and they sealed the deal with two layups by Miranda Langenhorst around a Stancona free toss.
--- By the Numbers: Chinn tossed in a game-high 17 points for the Lions, with George contributing 12, all in the first half, and Valerie Wakefield 10. Kraatz and Sanders had 14 and 11 rebounds respectively, while Wakefield handed out five assists and George made four steals. Thee Lions shot only .309 (17-55) from the field but were a gaudy .909 (10-11) from the line, and held their own on the boards, breaking even at 41-41.
Langenhorst had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Eagles, while Andie Kristinat added 15 points and Fowler 10. Kristinat had six assists and Stacona five, along with five steals. Northwest shot .375 (24-64) from the floor and only .286 (2-7) from the stripe.
Multnomah is now 0-9 on the season, while Northwest is 2-5.
--- Quoting coach Tim Bieri: "Tonight was a great game and great effort from both teams. Our turnovers and missed layups hurt us tonight, but out extra effort kept us in it and gave us a chance all the way through. We're looking forward to fixing a few things and getting back at it tomorrow night."
--- Next: Multnomah hosts Evergreen State College and Northwest goes to Warner Pacific College Saturday, both CCC games starting at 5:30 p.m.