EUGENE, Ore.  – A victory on Saturday night, coupled with a loss for No. 5 Eastern Oregon on Sunday, put the Beacons into a first-place tie with both EOU and Oregon Tech as the first half of the conference slate came to a close. NCU won their game, 98-88 over Multnomah University, surviving a 13-three pointer night for the Lions.
 
The Beacons (14-3, 8-2 CCC) led the entire way against MU, but wasn't ever able to put the game out of reach thanks to numerous deep threes by the Lions, including eight in the second half. NCU, however, shot a steady 48% in the game and was 30-for-37 at the free-throw line to seal their sixth win in a row.
 
Multnomah (4-14, 2-8) had the game's high scorer in Darius Redrick, posting 29 points, five assists and three steals. Michael Escobedo came off the bench to score 15 points and was 4-for-7 from distance.
 
NCU had five players in double-figures, with Jack Hackman and Jay Mayernik contributing 18 apiece. Hackman was 4-for-8 from downtown while Mayernik earned another double-double with 12 rebounds along with three blocks. Michael Loomis (pictured) came off the bench to score 17 points in just 24 minutes of work. The redshirt junior was 9-for-10 at the free-throw line and also collected a game-high four steals. Kenny Blackwell led all players with five assists and scored 16 while Brendyn Taylor finished with 14 points.
 
The Beacons will open up the second half of the conference circuit in a big way on Friday night, playing host to Eastern Oregon in a battle for first place. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.