KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – No. 16 Oregon Tech Owls put a lid on the a 15-game winning streak on Thursday night, but No. 6 Northwest Christian University was still able to clinch the outright Cascade Collegiate Conference championship.
 
OIT knocked off NCU, 88-77, but No. 15 Eastern Oregon was also knocked off by No. 25 College of Idaho on Thursday, allowing the Beacons to clinch the No. 1 seed for the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament and the first automatic bid to the NAIA championship.
 
The Beacons (23-4, 16-3) were led by Jay Mayernik, scoring 13 points and five rebounds. Brendyn Taylor, Brock Rice, and Michael Loomis added 11 points each in rare off-night shooting from outside for NCU. The Beacons were just 3-for-15 from three-point range and were out-rebounded 37-34.
 
Oregon Tech (21-8, 14-5) was led by Joel Yellow Owl, scoring 19 points and five assists. Seth Erickson added 17 points off the bench and Connor Scott scored 14.
 
NCU will close out the regular season and look to right the ship on Saturday night, playing against Southern Oregon University on Saturday night at Ashland High School. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 pm.
 
Oregon Tech is now locked in a three-way tie for second-place in the CCC with Eastern Oregon and The College of Idaho. Should all three teams win out, a complex tie-breaking procedure will be required to determine the second, third, and fourth seeds.