No. 8 Seeded Eagles Overthrow No. 1 Seeded Owls
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KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – No. 6 Oregon Tech's bid for the CCC Tournament Championship at Danny Miles Court fell short this Wednesday night as junior Mitchell Fink missed a potentially game-tying three-pointer as Northwest University pulled off the upset with a 78-75 win. The victory for the Eagles marks the third time in CCC history that a number eight seed beat a number one – with the last instance in 2017 when Corban University overthrew Northwest Christian University and went on to win the CCC Tournament Championship.
"Kudos to Northwest," said Head Coach Justin Parnell. "That was an inspired group and they played their tail off. Hussayn Ford is a special talent and was on a mission in the second half. We didn't have our best stuff tonight but we've had a heck of a year. We will sharpen up over the next two weeks and get ready for the national tourney. Thank you so much to our fans this year. They created a great environment every night for our guys."
OIT rode into the first stanza strong with a 13-3 run carrying them ahead of NU and giving them a 35-27 edge on the half. However, the Eagles blasted their way out of a 10-point deficit with a 13-5 run in the second half, going 11-for-3 and 11-for-2 after to gain a solid foothold.
Junior Seth Erickson landed a three-pointer bucket with nine seconds on the clock, putting the Owls within a single point of Northwest at 76-75, but a dunk from No. 3 CCC scorer Hussayn Ford set back their efforts, giving them only five seconds to land a three-pointer to tie the game.
Ford took game high honors and led the Eagles with a double-double, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, with 18 points of those points in the second half. Josh Meyer followed with 19 points, leading the NU 3-pointer effort by shooting 3-for-5 on the night.
Long range shooting troubled Northwest University in the first half, as they shot with only a 7.7% average on 1-of-13, though they came back in the second shooting 4-for-6, allowing them to end the game at 26.3%.
#2 Mitch Fink led Oregon Tech with 21 points and 6 assists. February 20, 2019. Image by, Brandon Gailey / Klamath Falls News.
Fink led OIT with 21 points and six assists, followed by Erickson with 17 points and six rebounds. Together the two made 7 of the Owl's 9 three-pointers, leading them to a 9-5 advantage from long range. Sophomores Scotty Burge and Garrett Albrecht scored 10 points and 12 points respectively, with Albrecht adding six rebounds.
Oregon Tech took a 19-16 assisting edge and a 12-7 advantage from their bench.
OIT forced 14 turnovers while only committing 12 of their own, outscoring the Eagles 18-13 in points off turnovers.
The Hustlin' Owls will travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota from March 6th to 12th to participate in the NAIA National Tournament.
Next Game
NAIA National Tournament
3/6/19