EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University men's basketball team was close to pulling off their third straight home victory against an NAIA Top-25 opponent on Friday night, but De'Jon Bowman wasn't having it. No. 15 Warner Pacific University held on for an 86-81 victory behind Bowman's 20-20 performance.
After trailing for most of the contest, including a ten-point deficit with six minutes remaining, the Beacons mounted a late comeback, only to see a turnover on the final possession steal the victory for the visitors.
Warner Pacific (17-7, 11-4 CCC) shot 52% in the game and outrebounded the Beacons 50-28, balancing out a 19-turnover game. The Beacons shot 41%, were 13-for-14 at the free-throw line, and turned the ball over just seven times, but a giveaway with eight seconds remaining equaled a missed opportunity at a potential game-tying bucket.
The Knights were leading 73-63 with 6:22 to go when a Michael Loomis three-pointer fueled the Beacon comeback attempt. An 11-2 run brought the team within one point and then at the 2:51 mark, Spencer Mattox drained a triple to tie the game.
Loomis got a tip-in to go down on NCU’s next possession and the Beacons briefly took back the lead but the Knights went on to score nine of the final eleven points to escape the Morse Event Center with the win.
The Beacons (10-11, 6-8 CCC) were led by Mattox who finished with a game-high 22 points. Tyrus Hosley came off the bench to add 15 while Davonte Cleveland scored 14 points to go with a team-high four assists and three steals. Loomis finished with 11 points, all in the second half, and eight rebounds.
WPU was led by Bowman’s 20-20 game, scoring 21 points along with a Warner Pacific record 24 rebounds. Collin Malcom scored 16 points and Morris Bethea added 13. Xavier Cannefax chipped in 12 along with a game-high six assists.
The Beacons will return to action on Saturday night when they take on Multnomah University. Warner Pacific meanwhile will head to Salem to take on Corban. Both games are slated for 7:30 pm tip-offs.