PORTLAND, Ore. – Senior point guard Brian Hampton led all players with 18 points but the Northwest Christian University men’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a large first-half deficit, losing to Lewis & Clark College on Tuesday evening, 65-53. The Beacons were outrebounded 53-33 and gave up 16 second-chance points in the loss.
Head Coach Corey Anderson said, “We can’t go on the road and get out rebounded by 20 while giving up 22 offensive rebounds and expect to win.”
The Beacons shot just 6-for-27 in a low-scoring first-half and trailed 31-19 at the break. The halftime speech seemed to reach the team however, as NCU shot out of the gates in the second half with a 9-0 run to climb within three points. The Beacons were later within two, 41-39 on a layup from Brody McGowan with 12:49 remaining, but things went south from there.
The Pioneers went on a 9-0 run to pull ahead by eleven points with less than ten minutes to play. NCU slowly clawed their way back and after back-to-back jumpers by Jordan Buhler and Hampton, the Beacons were down 54-48 with 3:41 to play. NCU still trailed by six in the final minute, but were forced to foul, giving L&C six straight points at the free-throw line in the final 50 seconds.
The Beacons drop to 2-3 with the loss. Behind Hampton’s efforts, Buhler scored eleven points, adding six rebounds. Greg Shepard led the team with nine rebounds and two steals in the loss. The Beacons finished the game shooting 34%, including a 3-for-16 effort behind the three-point line.
Lewis & Clark (1-0) was led by PJ Taylor, scoring 15 points. Taylor was active beyond the arc, shooting 5-for-13 from three-point range. Ross Erickson added a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while James Hollins and Caron Rayford scored 13 points apiece.
Northwest Christian University will be back in action on Saturday when they play host to Simpson University at 8:00 pm. NCU will host a Toy and Gift Card Drive for foster children that evening. Any fan bringing an unwrapped toy or a $10 gift card to stores such as Target, Walmart, or iTunes will receive a concessions voucher.