Beacons Upset #3 Oregon Tech

EUGENE, Ore. - The Northwest Christian University men's basketball team picked up by far their biggest win since joining the Cascade Conference, knocking off third-ranked Oregon Tech in overtime, 79-76. Senior Guard Ben Voogd hit a three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, and then hit the game-winning layup with 12 seconds left in overtime.

"We knew we could beat these guys," said Voogd. "Looking at film this week we put together a great game plan, and we really came together and executed."

After a see-saw game, Oregon Tech had emerged with a ten-point lead, 49-39 with 13:11 remaining in regulation on a layup by Brent Johnson. NCU slowly chipped away, but still trailed by five points, 71-66 with 22 seconds remaining.

Voogd took the ball to the hole on the next possession and NCU was down by three, 71-68 with 12 seconds to play. The Owls Kyle Gomez was immediately fouled and sent to the line for a 1-and-1 opportunity. The sophomore missed the front end, however, but the ball was never cleanly rebounded by either team and with just five seconds remaining, Oregon Tech retained possession near midcourt.

On the ensuing in-bound pass, the improbable happened as junior Guard Joseph Foster was called for a charge against NCU's Erik Quick-Warner. The Beacons got the ball, allowing Voogd to dribble to the left corner where he buried the three-pointer, sending the game into overtime.

Voogd made a quick layup on NCU's first possession in the extra period and over the next four minutes, Oregon Tech climbed back, hitting 3-of-4 free throws to take a 76-75 lead with 1:29 to play. After back-to-back fruitless possessions, Voogd had the ball and drove the lane again, hitting the fingertip roll with 22 seconds left to give the Beacons what would become their final lead of the evening.

Oregon Tech had one last possession, but Kellen Spicer came down with a rebound after a missed jumper by Justin Parnell. Spicer was immediately fouled and iced the victory with two free throws.

Head Coach Corey Anderson said, "This was a huge win for our program, and that is because of who our opponent was. Oregon Tech and [Head] Coach [Danny] Miles have set the standard for our conference for a long time. Last year we were able to beat every team in our conference at least once, except for OIT, so for us this was big."

The Beacons had not won against Oregon Tech in nine years and had lost 17 of the past 18 meetings between the schools coming into the game. The last win for the Beacons was a 105-102 home victory in 2001, in a game that also went to overtime.

Despite the loss, Oregon Tech (20-4, 9-3 CCC) remains in first place in the Cascade Conference, tied with three other teams that all have three losses in conference play. The Owls were led in defeat by Parnell, who put up 22 points, with 16 of them coming in the second half. Miles Daley followed with 21, shooting 9-for-14 from the floor, and Foster added 13 points. OIT shot 50% from the floor in the game, including a 64% clip in the second half.

The Beacons (9-15, 5-7 CCC) were led by Voogd, who finished with 20 points after scoring just five in the first half. Quentin Guidry, making just his fifth start of the season, scored 19 points before fouling out, shooting 9-for-11 from the floor. Quick-Warner added 11 points, hitting 3-for-4 from three-point range and Brent McKee came off the bench to score eight points along with a team-high seven rebounds. The Beacons shot 53% on the night including a scorching 65% performance in the second half.

"All seven of the guys that we put on the floor had great games tonight," said Anderson. "From Kellen's clutch free throws, to Ben's huge three, to….to Erik getting that offensive foul called, it was a team effort. Our crowd was incredible tonight as well. The "Freakin' Beacons" were out in full force and that certainly helped."

Nearly lost in the aftermath of such a big win was a pair of major milestones hit tonight by senior Andrew Miller. Miller finished with ten points and six rebounds and in the same game became NCU's all-time leading scorer (989 points) and rebounder (572 boards). Anderson said, "Miller is such an outstanding four-year guy for our program. He didn't get these accomplishments because of pure talent, but because of hard work and energy and I am really proud of him."

The Beacons will turn back around and play again Saturday night, hosting Southern Oregon University at 7:30 pm.