EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 16 Northwest Christian University women's basketball team clinched a share of their first-ever Cascade Collegiate Conference title on Friday evening, knocking off The College of Idaho, 76-57 in the penultimate regular-season contest for both schools.
 
NCU's win, coupled with a loss by No. 25 Eastern Oregon, gives the Beacons a one-game lead in the CCC standings over the Mountaineers with one game remaining on Saturday.
 
The Beacons opened the game on fire, as they shot 63% from the field and 6-for-9 from beyond the arc to build a 30-10 lead through the first ten minutes. In the second quarter the Beacons were able to extend their lead to enter halftime with a 48-22 advantage. NCU hit nine three-pointers in the half while holding The College of Idaho to 27% shooting and two treys.
 
The Beacons were able to build their largest lead of 27 before turning to their bench in the fourth quarter. The NCU defense was stingy from start to finish, holding the Yotes to 33% shooting from the field. The Beacons forced 15 turnovers and collected 12 steals which resulted in 25 points.
 
Head Coach Chad Meadors stated, "We played a great first quarter both offensively and defensively, and as we continued through the game our offense began to taper off but our defense maintained and defended well against a good team the entire way."
 
It was another historic night for junior Morgan McKinney who broke the NCU single-season scoring record and became NCU's all-time leading scorer within a five-minute span in the second quarter. She moved over the 500-point mark for the season, and passed Emily Gray's 1236 points for a new Beacon career record.
 
"I am really proud of Morgan," said Meadors. "To see her excel and get better has been awesome. Not only has her shooting improved but her rebounding and assists are right there as well. She has provided some real stable leadership for our team."
 
Junior Kayce Mock tallied 11 points, hitting a trio of threes to go with her game-high nine rebounds and three blocks. Senior Shanay Dotson also racked up 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and four steals while Freshman Aspen Slifka scored 10 points. Kaylen Kamelamela added six points and a game-high five assists in the victory. On the night, the Beacons shot 47% from the field and 12-for-23 from three with 18 assists.  
 
Kaylee Krusemark led the Yotes (12-16, 10-9) with 13 points and five rebounds while Emily Harwood added seven points and three rebounds. The College of Idaho held the rebounding advantage 40-38, with 14 offensive rebounds.
 
The Beacons will return to action on Saturday as they host No. 25 Eastern Oregon at 5:30 pm in the Morse Event Center. Despite the one-game lead over EOU, Saturday's winner will clinch the conference's top seed for the CCC tournament as well as an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships. NCU will also honor their seniors in a pre-game ceremony. Meadors said. "Were excited for senior night tomorrow as we send off Dani Baker, Hannah Eddens, and Shanay Dotson. We have the chance to take the Cascade Conference Championship outright and clinch a trip to nationals and that's what we are aiming to do."