EUGENE, Ore. – NCU got back on the right track on Friday night, ending a two-game losing streak with a 77-68 win over Eastern Oregon University.
 
NCU (12-5, 5-3 CCC) shot 51% in the game and collected nine steals. EOU (10-8, 2-6) shot 41% and was held to just 5-for-27 shooting from three-point range. The Mounties also made just 48% of their free-throws which hurt in what was a close contest for most of the night.
 
The first half was dominated by just two men, Northwest Christian's Austin Kuemper and Eastern Oregon's Bryan McGriff. The two men traded blows throughout the opening stanza and finished with a combined 41 of the 64 points scored in the period. Kuemper had 20 for the Beacons while McGriff posted 21 for the Mounties and the teams took a 32-32 tie into the locker room.
 
The Beacons never trailed in the second half, but EOU continued to apply pressure. After scoring seven quick points, including a Travis Pacos three-pointer, the Beacons were ahead 39-34 just a minute into the period. Eastern answered with a four-point play by De'Sean Mattox, the first of 17 second-half points for the senior.
 
NCU again grabbed a big lead and were ahead by as many as nine points, but again the Mounties pulled close, trailing 61-59 with 6:21 remaining. The Beacons were finally able to get away for good, using a 14-4 run over the next four minutes, highlighted by a combined 6-for-6 effort at the free-throw line.
 
Head Coach Luke Jackson said, "Eastern is such a talented and dangerous team and we let them get going early. I was really proud of the guys and how they stepped it up in the second half. We made some adjustments and made simple plays. When it came down to winning time, we made our free-throws and we didn't turn the ball over which is exactly why we lost last weekend."
 
Kuemper finished the game with another 26 points, shooting 10-for-17 from the field with nine rebounds. The back-to-back CCC Player of the Week is averaging 25.4 points per game and shooting 70% from the field over his past five games. "Austin has been really tough," said Jackson. "He's starting to understand his size and his competitiveness and his confidence can take him along way. Last year when he would get fouled and knocked down he struggled to have a next-play mentality. Now he's finishing through a lot of the contact that he didn't last year and I really feel like he's turned a corner."

Devyn Iglehart (pictured) had a strong night for the Beacons with 15 points and four assists. Javonte Byrd and Michael Loomis each had ten points while Pacos and Omar Richards finished with eight apiece.
 
For Eastern, McGriff ended the night with 23 points, going just 1-for-4 in the second half. Mattox, who had shot 0-for-6 in the first-half, picked up some of the slack as he finished the night with 18. Deonta Edwards added 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Eastern Oregon out-rebounded the Beacons 41-34 and had five blocked shots.
 
Tomorrow night will close out the first-half of the Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule. Currently four teams are tied for first-place with a 6-2 record. NCU is just one game back and faces one of those four tomorrow night when they play host to No. 4 College of Idaho at 7:00 pm. Eastern will be in Salem to do battle with Corban at the same time.