Eagles Lose in Overtime to No. 17 Warner Pacific
Written by: Clayton Hashley
Kirkland, Wash. – Northwest University (8-5, 1-1 CCC) lost in overtime to No. 17 Warner Pacific University (8-2, 2-0 CCC) on Saturday night, with a final score of 89-86.
Nick Navarro and Hussayn Ford led the inside-out game for the Eagles, scoring 21 points apiece. Navarro hit 4/8 three-pointers, and Ford added 11 rebounds. Arturo Palacios helped put the defense on their toes as well, scoring 14 points.
Warner Pacific’s Collin Malcolm had 30 points, and Brandon Bell added 20 points. The Knights had a one-point lead going into the second half, and with 1:23 left in the game, the Eagles found themselves down 63-74. However, a pair of threes from Nick Navarro, and layups from Hussayn Ford and Arturo Palacios brought the Eagles to within three points in the last minute. After a missed free throw from the Knights and a rebound from Ryan Ricks, the Eagles called timeout and subbed their shooters in. Freshman Jase Paulsen hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left to tie the game up and force overtime.
In overtime, the Eagles again found themselves down by three in the final seconds. Arturo Palacios missed a potentially game-tying three-point shot with four seconds left. Hussayn Ford managed to tip the shot back in for two points, but there was simply not enough time left for the Eagles to get another shot up. Northwest settled for the close loss.
Northwest head coach Jeff Drinkwine commented, “We had a very good effort against another great team. We need to learn how to close out these tight games. We fought until the end, but need to take care of the little things to walk away with a win.”