ASHLAND, Ore. – It may be hard to beat a team three times in the same season, but Southern Oregon did just that, pulling away late to take an 80-58 victory over Northwest Christian University on Friday night in the semifinal round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament presented by U.S. Bank.
 
As was the case in the previous two meetings, No. 11 Southern Oregon used a strong pressure defense to keep the No. 17 Beacons out of rhythm. In fact, NCU suffered a 20+ turnover game for the fourth time this season, and the third time against the Raiders.
 
NCU was led by sophomore Hannah Eddens who had a career-high 23 points including 15 at the free-throw line. Morgan McKinney added ten points as the only other player in double-figures.
 
Toria Bradford posted a team-high 21 points for the Raiders who also got 16 from Remi Mejia.
 
Southern Oregon (24-5) clinches the CCC's second automatic bid to the NAIA tournament and will travel to face No. 6 Eastern Oregon University in the conference championship game Monday night in La Grande.
 
The Beacons (22-6) will await their fate when the brackets and at-large bids for the national tourney are announced on Wednesday. An at-large bid is likely for NCU but not guaranteed. The NAIA selection show will air at 4:00 pm and a watch party will take place for all fans in the Goodrich Administration Building (A201) on NCU's campus.