LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 24 Beacons were handed their first loss of the season on Friday night, falling by a final of 86-74 to No. 8 Eastern Oregon on the Mountaineers home court in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. Senior guard Niki Duncan had a historic night for NCU, hitting three of her eight long-range attempts to break Sami Pitts' career record of 134 three-pointers made.
 
NCU (8-1, 1-1 CCC) lost the game despite out-shooting the Mounties 43.5%-40.8% from the field, and 43.5%-18.5% from three-point land. EOU (10-2, 3-0) held a slight edge in rebounds, 44-38, while hitting 19 of their 24 free-throw attempts, good for 86.4%.
 
Eastern Oregon came out focused to start the game, with their swarming defense holding the Beacons to just ten points in the first period. Mountie forward Stormee Van Belle went four-for-five in the opening clip, scoring nine of her 13 points, putting EOU up 11 going into the second. The Mountaineers increased their lead by six more in the second, putting the Beacons at a 17 point deficit after the first 20 minutes of action.
 
Northwest Christian got into a rhythm in the second half, shooting just under 49% while outscoring the Mountaineers 48-43. The Beacons got within seven points with just under five minutes to go, but were unable to overcome the early advantage gained by the home side.
 
"I was happy with the way we battled back tonight." NCU Head Coach Heath Alexander said. "When you're going against a great team, you can't put yourself in a deep hole early like we did. Our team fought hard, we just need to be a little smarter moving forward."
 
Morgan McKinney led the Beacons in scoring with 13 while also grabbing seven rebounds. Anamaria Virjoghe and Katerina Brejchova each had 12 points for the Beacons. Virjoghe pulled-down a team-high eight rebounds in addition to blocking four shots, while Brechova dished out seven assists with six boards. Kaylynn Bush played a big role off the bench, scoring nine points in her 16 minutes of action.
 
EOU standout Maya Ah You-Dias put forth a well-rounded game with 26 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Payton Parrish had a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards. Van Belle finished the night with 13 points, while Reece Bauer contributed 11 points in reserve.
 
The Beacons continue their road trip tomorrow night, traveling to Caldwell, Idaho to take on the C of I Yotes at 5:30 p.m.