EUGENE, Ore.  – The Northwest Christian University men's basketball team is just one win away from clinching at least a share of the 2017 Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship after knocking off Multnomah University on Friday night, 96-76.
 
It wasn't pretty, shooting just 37% from the field, but the Beacons got the job done. NCU built a 42-31 lead at halftime and never looked back leading by as many as 25 during the second half. NCU also out-rebounded the Lions 65-38 including 29 offensive boards.
 
Multnomah (6-21, 2-15 CCC) shot 42.3% from the field but were just 7-for-31 from three-point range. Moe Keita led the way for the Lions, scoring 16 points along with four blocks. Trever Cooley came off the bench to score 11.
 
NCU, ranked No. 6 in the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, was led by dueling milestone performances from seniors Jack Hackman and Jay Mayernik who each posted 20 points. Jack Hackman hit 6 three-pointers on Friday, giving him 81 on the season to break his own single-campaign record of 79. Mayernik added another 18 rebounds to his season total and posted his NCU-record 22nd career double-double, topping a mark of 21 set by Hall-of-Famer Mat Sand in 1991.
 
Not to be outdone, sophomore Kenny Blackwell (pictured) scored 17 points and six assists. He set the tone with a trio of three-pointers in the first three minutes as NCU built an early 14-4 lead. NCU ended with 13 three-pointers in the game, including four off the bench from Brock Rice who scored 14.
 
With the win, the Beacons improve to 22-3 on the season including a 15-2 mark in the CCC. No. 15 Oregon Tech lost on the road to The College of Idaho on Friday, moving them to 13-4 in the conference and giving NCU a two-game lead on both the Owls and No. 16 Eastern Oregon. A win on Saturday night against Warner Pacific will guarantee NCU will own their second straight CCC regular season championship, albeit one that could potentially be shared with either OIT or EOU who face each other on Saturday.
 
Saturday will also be senior night for NCU with festivities scheduled to begin just prior to the contest.