EUGENE, Ore. – The Year of the Beacon rolled on on Tuesday night as the Northwest Christian University men's basketball team won their first ever CCC Tournament Championship, overwhelming third-seed Warner Pacific College, 77-66. NCU used a 15-1 run in the final ten minutes to pull away from what had been a close game.
 
NCU (27-6) also set a school-record with their 27th win of the season, breaking a mark which had stood for 15 years. They did it on the backs of their starters as they accounted for all but 35 minutes of floor time on Tuesday. The Beacons had already clinched a berth in the NAIA Division II National Tournament with their regular season championship and only solidified a solid seed for the tourney with the victory.
 
Warner Pacific (23-9), currently ranked No. 16 in the NAIA National poll, is sitting in good shape to earn an at-large bid to the tournament when they are announced at 4:00 pm PST on Wednesday.
 
The Beacons started the game off strong, going on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes to force a timeout by WPC coach Jared Valentine. A Kenny Blackwell triple with 15:52 remaining gave the Beacons a 12-3 advantage and their biggest lead of the half.
 
The Knights steadily climbed back into the game and tied the score at 17-17 on an Earl Jones layup with 12:30 remaining. The runs continued as the pendulum swung back to NCU, taking a seven-point lead on an Omar Richards three before the momentum went back to the visitors who used a 9-0 run to take their first and only lead of the game.
 
Javonte Byrd quickly turned things in NCU's favor, hitting back-to-back three-pointers that not only set a new NCU career record but also gave NCU the advantage for good. The team ended the half with a 42-35 advantage.
 
Warner Pacific fought back in the second half, but never got closer than one point, the last time at the 9:49 mark on a Collin Malcolm trey to make it a 55-54 Beacon advantage. That is when NCU turned on another gear, going on a 15-1 run behind 11 combined points from Richards and Austin Kuemper and six free-throws from Blackwell to put the game away.  
 
Richards, who nearly had a double-double in the first half, finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Beacons. Blackwell scored 16 and led all players with five assists and two steals. Jack Hackman scored 14 points and seven rebounds while Byrd ended the night with a 14-point tally as well. Jay Mayernik came off the bench to score four points, adding 11 rebounds including six on the offensive glass as NCU out-rebounded the Knights, 53-28.
 
Warner Pac was led by Jones who finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Taylor Young was the only other player in double-figures with 13, adding a team-high four assists. The Knights shot 37% from the field including an 8-for-32 clip beyond the arc.