ASHLAND, Ore. – Senior Austin Kuemper might have led the Beacons with 18 points and 8 rebounds, but the NCU bench outscored its starters on Saturday night in an 80-69 win over No. 12 Southern Oregon University. It was the Beacons fifth straight win against SOU and the Raiders first home loss of the season.
 
Javonte Byrd scored 14 points, Jack Hackman added 13 and freshman Kyle Ferreira (pictured) made three 3-pointers for the Beacons (15-7 overall, 8-5 Cascade Conference), as the reserves totaled 29 of 45 second-half points.
 
Southern Oregon (19-5, 9-4) hadn't lost at home since last season's CCC quarterfinals, also against NCU. The Beacons are now responsible for three of the last four Raider losses at Bob Reihm Arena.
 
The Raiders totaled 12 turnovers in the game, three of which coming in a crucial moment of the second half. NCU led for just under 36 minutes of the game, but found themselves ahead just 51-48 with 12:32 to play. The Beacons posted 13 unanswered points over a two-minute stretch, scoring on seven straight possessions to put the game out of reach.
 
NCU had another solid night from Kuemper, shooting 8-for-14 from the field to account for his game-high 18 points. He led the team in rebounding with eight, but the Beacons were out-rebounded 33-29 in the game. NCU shot 51% in the contest.
 
SOU had five players in double-figures, led by Eric Thompson with15 points and 15 rebounds. Jordan West and Tim Weber scored 13 apiece while Joel Spear and Ben DeSaulnier contributed 12 points each in the loss. Southern Oregon shot 49% in the game but were hurt by a 3-for-16 performance from three-point range.
 
With five games remaining in the CCC regular-season, the Beacons now sit alone in fifth-place, one game behind SOU for fourth. Just two games separate the Beacons from CCC-leading College of Idaho (21-4, 10-3).
 
NCU will have a tough task ahead of them next weekend with a pair of crucial games against NAIA top-25 foes. Friday night will see the Beacons hosting No. 20 Warner Pacific (19-5, 9-3). After upsetting No. 3 College of Idaho this weekend, the Knights are currently tied for second-place in the CCC with Saturday's foe, No. 11 Concordia (19-4, 9-3). Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.