EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University men's basketball team made the most out of a strong height advantage on Friday night, toppling #18 The College of Idaho 89-76 for their second win over a top-25 team this season.
 
NCU dominated the game from the inside, out-rebounding the Yotes 57-29 including 14 offensive boards. The Beacons scored 48 points in the paint while CI contributed just ten. The Yotes, in fact, hit just six two-point baskets with 48 of their points coming off 16 three-point field goals.
 
The Beacons (8-4, 2-1 CCC) shot 50% for the game including a 16-for-30 effort in the second half as they fought off a strong charge by the visitors. Using a 10-0 run early in the period, the Beacons grabbed a 22-point lead as they were ahead 66-44 with 12:50 remaining.
 
The College of Idaho fought their way back, using the long ball. Dominique Jordan capped off a 16-4 run with a triple that brought the Yotes within ten points at the 8:18 mark and just two minutes later another Jordan trey closed the gap to eight points, 75-67.
 
CI still trailed by eight with just over two minutes to play but senior Austin Kuemper (pictured) and sophomore Jordan Alexander combined to go 6-for-6 from the free-throw line over the final 128 seconds to seal the win.  
 
NCU had all five of their starters score at least 12 points, led by Kuemper who posted a double-double with season highs of 20 points and 15 rebounds, adding a pair of blocks. Jack Hackman went 5-for-8 from three-point range, finishing the night with 17 points. Omar Richards and Javonte Byrd scored 15 points apiece and Kenny Blackwell flirted with a triple-double scoring 12 points with ten rebounds and seven assists. The freshman Point Guard also collected three steals.
 
The Coyotes (7-5, 2-1 CCC) were led by Eugene native Emanuel Morgan (Churchill HS), scoring 20 points off of six three-pointers. Morgan never left the floor, playing all 40 minutes as he added five assists and two steals. Aitor Zubizarreta scored 15 points and led the team with four steals while Jordan ended his night with 14 points, hitting four treys.
 
One of the big factors in the win for the Beacons was their ability to hold junior Joey Nebeker to just four points, all on free-throws. The last time the two teams faced off in Eugene, on January 13th of last season, Nebeker hit three straight triples late in the game that secured a win for the visitors. Tonight he would go 0-for-8 from the floor, missing all four of his three-point attempts.
 
NCU will return to action on Saturday night as they take on the upstart Eastern Oregon Mountaineers (6-7, 2-1 CCC). EOU was a 102-75 winner over Corban University on Friday. The Yotes will head up to Salem to take on Corban. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.