EUGENE, Ore. – After trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half, the Northwest Christian University men's basketball team had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds only to come away with a 71-69 defeat at the hands of Willamette Valley rival Corban University.
 
The Warriors (16-12, 10-10 CCC) shot 44% in the game and out-rebounded the Beacons, 45-34 to survive a night in which they turned the ball over 15 times. NCU (11-14, 7-11 CCC) coughed it up just eight times but shot 40% from the field in the loss.  
 
The Beacons were led once again by senior Michael Loomis (pictured), scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds. Austin Tyner came off the bench to score 16 and Davonte Coleman added ten. De'Onte Menefee added five points and six rebounds in 22 reserve minutes while leading all players with three steals.
 
Joel Johnson led the Warriors with 16 points, adding 17 rebounds including five on the offensive glass. AJ Monterossi added 15 points and four assists while Caleb Dozier scored 14 points and six rebounds.
 
With the win, Corban locked themselves into sixth place in the CCC in their final regular season game. They will travel to face the No. 3 seed in the first round of the Conference playoffs next Wednesday night.
 
NCU has already clinched a post-season berth and will own either the seventh or eighth seed, depending on how the final regular season games shake out this weekend. The Beacons host Walla Walla University for back-to-back games, at 3:00 pm on Friday and 9:30 pm on Saturday.