EUGENE, Ore. – Only one visiting team was able to knock off the Northwest Christian University men's basketball team in the Morse Event Center during the regular season. That team, Oregon Tech, will try to do it again as the Owls come to town for the semifinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Tournament presented by U.S. Bank.

Just announce on Friday, Saturday's game will be the first this season to be broadcast live on local radio in the Eugene-Springfield market. The Beacons signed a partnership with Cumulus Media for the remainder of the post season and Saturday's semifinal game will air live on 95.3 The Score (KUJZ) and on the KUJZ website (953thescore.com). Danny Havel will begin the pre-game show at 6:40 pm. 
 
The Beacons got into the semis by virtue of their 66-60 win over Northwest at home on Wednesday night. The fifth-seeded Owls went on the road and claimed the victory over College of Idaho in the quarterfinals, 79-58. Oregon Tech is the hottest team in the conference, winning four straight games.
 
The biggest factor in the winning streak has been the unbelievable play of senior Lavar Moore who is averaging 26 points per game over the past seven games. Moore leads the team and is fourth in the conference in scoring.
 
Northwest Christian and Oregon Tech have faced off just one time before in the CCC tournament, a semifinal game in Klamath Falls in 2009 which OIT won 64-50.
 
The Beacons have already earned their way into the NAIA DII National Championships by virtue of their regular season CCC Crown. The tourney title would be icing on the cake and give NCU a solid chance at a top-ten seed for the national tournament.
 
Oregon Tech, currently receiving votes in the NAIA coaches poll, needs to win on Saturday and again on Tuesday in order to claim an automatic berth. One more win, over the No. 12 team in the nation in NCU, would plant the Owls firmly on the bubble for a possible at-large bid, giving Danny Miles one more trip to Branson before he retires at the end of the year.
 
Saturday's winner will advance to the CCC Championship game on Tuesday night. If NCU?wins, they will host the winner of the other semifinal featuring #3 Warner Pacific and #2 Southern Oregon. If Oregon Tech?wins, they will travel to either Portland or Ashland to face the WPC-SOU victor.