LA GRANDE, Ore. – Nine players got into the scorebook and all 14 dressed players made it on the floor on Saturday as the Northwest Christian University men's basketball team claimed a 77-60 Valentine's Day win over Eastern Oregon University.
 
EOU (12-14, 4-12 CCC) struggled to shoot the ball as Northwest Christian held the Mountaineers to 30 percent shooting from the floor. The Beacons shot 52 percent and were 19-for-23 at the free-throw line as they picked up their fourth straight win over the Mounties.
 
The Mountaineers were off to a fast start as they held an 8-2 lead over the Beacons after less than two minutes. NCU battled back to tie the game at 18-18, and after trading multiple leads, Jay Mayernik gave the visitors a 38-36 halftime lead with a late three-point play.
 
Northwest Christian quickly extended their lead to nine points, 49-40 to open the second half. The Beacons picked up the defense and continued to add to the lead which grew to as many as 20 points late in the frame.
 
The inside-out game for the Beacons remained mostly inside on Saturday with the team hitting just two three-pointers while doubling up EOU in the paint, 44-22. Austin Kuemper (pictured) scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead the Beacons (17-9, 10-7 CCC). Mayernik added 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting on the night.
 
Bryan McGriff led the way for the Mountaineers with 27 points. De'Sean Mattox and Case Rada followed with 11 points apiece to round out the double-figure scorers for EOU.
 
With one weekend remaining in the regular season, NCU remains in the hunt to host a CCC playoff game for the first time in school history. Currently sitting in fifth, the Beacons need a win over Corban University next Saturday and a pair of losses by current fourth-place Southern Oregon. NCU tips-off with the Warriors in Salem at 7:30 pm while SOU will be on the road to face No. 17 Warner Pacific on Friday and No. 13 Concordia on Saturday.