EUGENE, Ore. – With the Cascade Collegiate Conference crown on the line on Friday night, No. 12 Northwest Christian University rose to the occasion, defeating No. 11 Southern Oregon 85-75. 
 
For the Beacons (24-5, 17-2 CCC) it is the first conference crown since joining the CCC in 2007. It is also the first conference title of any kind since winning the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Conference title in 1982 when the team played in the National Little College Athletic Association.
 
Southern Oregon could still own a share of the CCC crown with a win on Saturday and an NCU loss in the regular season finale, but the Beacons have guaranteed themselves the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and an automatic berth in the NAIA National Tournament by way of owning the possible tiebreaker over the Raiders.
 
NCU relied heavily on the strength of the starting lineup on Friday as Beacon bench was utilized for just 38 combined minutes. The long minutes paid off as NCU shot 50% from the field, out-rebounded the Raiders 37-35 and held SOU to just 39.7% shooting.
 
"I am really proud of the accomplishment that these guys achieved tonight," said Head Coach Luke Jackson. "All the guys have put in so much time and energy into creating a culture. We have some great unselfish players that have sacrificed individual accomplishments for the good of the team. Any of our starters could have averaged more points this season, but we wouldn't win. We have won because we have played really, really hard as a team."
 
The Beacons had all five starters make it to double-digits, led by senior Omar Richards. Richards shot 10-for-13 from the field and scored 23 points, adding a game-high 13 rebounds. Jack Hackman was a perfect 3-for-3 from outside the arch, scoring 15 points.
 
Austin Kuemper added 14 points, four assists and three steals and Kenny Blackwell scored 12 points, four assists and three steals. Javonte Byrd, who has averaged 21 points per game against Southern Oregon in his career, scored ten points.
 
Southern Oregon (23-6, 16-3) was led by senior Joel Spear, producing his best effort ever against NCU with 25 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Ben DeSaulnier added 14 points and Jordan West finished with 12 points and three blocks.
 
NCU has clinched home field advantage for the conference tournament and will open play on Wednesday night as they host eight-seed Northwest University. First things first however, as the Beacons close out the regular season tomorrow night with Oregon Tech coming to town. Coach Jackson said, "It is nice to enjoy this for the next 20 minutes, but the season is obviously not over and we have a lot of work left to do."
 
Tomorrow will feature senior night festivities before the game, which will be the final regular season game for Oregon Tech's 45-year head coach, Danny Miles.