EUGENE, Ore. – In just his fourth season at Northwest Christian University, head coach Heath Alexander cemented his place in Beacon women’s basketball history on Friday night, breaking the coaching wins record as NCU rolled to a 76-67 victory over Warner Pacific University.
The victory was the 67th of his career, breaking a tie that he shared with Liz Turner-Bolton. With a career record of 67-41, his all-time winning percentage sits at .610. “One of the biggest gifts you can give someone is your time,” said Alexander after the game. “I would just like to thank all of the players that have given me their time, effort and hearts. Our women’s basketball program is a family and this record is as much theirs as it is mine.”
The win was anything but a cake-walk for the Beacons, however. The Knights were the hot team early, carrying a 20-18 lead into the second period. The Beacons took back the advantage in the second quarter and held a 36-34 edge at the intermission, but WPU again took the lead in a back-and-fourth affair, owning a 52-51 lead as the teams headed into the final ten minutes.
NCU took over from there, shooting 60% from the field as they hit a trio of three-pointers to secure the win, improving to 18-3 on the season including an 11-3 mark in the CCC. With the loss, WPU dropped to 10-15, 6-9 in conference action.
The win also secured a playoff spot for the Beacons and brought them within one of securing a first-round home game for the third straight season.
NCU showed off their depth on Friday, owning a 46-28 lead in points off the bench. Leading that effort was the dynamic duo of sophomore Dani Baker and junior Jenna Christenson, combining to go 9-for-15 from three-point range. Baker posted a game-high 18 points and was followed closely by Christenson with 16.
Alexander said, “I am really proud of our bench. ‘Dani Buckets’ is back. She found her shot, hit five threes, and really got us going. Jenna did a great job also, picking her spots well.”
Freshman Morgan McKinney was the only starter in double-figures for the Beacons, scoring 11 points along with ten rebounds for her first career double-double. Katerina Brejchova scored just two points, but guided NCU with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Warner Pacific was led by Bailey Allen, scoring 14 points. Deepika Kapil was close behind with a double-double effort, scoring 13 points and ten rebounds. Kendyl Cone came off the bench to score ten and lead the Knights with three steals.
The 16th-ranked Beacons will return to action on Saturday and will have an opportunity to tie the school single-season win record of 19, set two years ago. They will play host to Multnomah University (1-24, 1-14) at 5:30 pm. Warner Pacific, meanwhile, will travel to Salem to face Corban University (11-12, 7-9) also at 5:30.