EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University women's basketball team will host a CCC playoff game for the first time after clinch the fourth seed for the tournament on Friday night. NCU fell to No. 6 Southern Oregon 55-42, but Corban University also lost, leaving NCU two games ahead of the Warriors with one game to play.
 
Although NCU was not victorious on Friday, they were still able to put the entire conference on notice with another stellar defensive effort. Averaging 89.3 points per game this season, Southern Oregon was held to 55, including just seven points in the fourth quarter.
 
"We defended tonight like a championship team," said head coach Heath Alexander, who in just his second season has guided NCU to their highest finish ever in the CCC. "We just didn't shoot the ball well early and SOU did a great job of taking away our rhythm."
 
The Beacons (18-10, 13-6 CCC) had their own struggles on offense, turning the ball over 23 times and shooting 28.6% from the field as the Raiders proved why they are the CCC champions and the sixth-ranked team in the country.
 
The Beacons were led by Monique Thompson (pictured), scoring 12 points and adding four steals. Niki Duncan added nine points and MeShel Rad posted a team-high nine rebounds. For the second time in three games, NCU collected a school-record with 11 blocked shots. Andrea Gloss and Hanna Mack had three apiece for the Beacons.
 
Southern Oregon had two players produce double-doubles as Carly Meister scored 12 points and ten rebounds and Autumn Durand finished with ten points and 13 rebounds. The Raiders out-rebounded the Beacons 50-38, and collected 20 steals. Ashley Claussen led the way with six swipes in the win.
 
SOU travels to Salem on Saturday night to close out the regular season. NCU will have their senior night on Saturday night when they play host to Oregon Tech. Both games are slated for 5:30 p.m. tip-offs.
 
The Beacons will be at home on Tuesday night when the CCC tournament begins, playing host to fifth-seeded Corban University. The same teams met in the first round of the tournament last season, with NCU claiming the victory on the road.