PORTLAND, Ore. – In a showdown of two of the Cascade Conference's best teams, 12th ranked Concordia outlasted 18th ranked Warner Pacific, 70-65, in front of a standing room only crowd at Bart Valentine Court tonight.

The Basics

• Score: Concordia 70, Warner Pacific 65
• Records: CU (18-3, 8-2 CCC), WPC (17-5, 7-3 CCC)
• Location: C.C. Perry Gym, Portland, Ore.
• The Short Story: Concordia earned a key CCC victory on the road tonight, edging their cross-town rival Warner Pacific by five points. The Knights and Cavs were deadlocked at 27-27 at halftime and the game was everything expected during a clash of ranked teams. A surge from CU midway through the second half proved to be the difference, as the Cavs built a 14 point lead and held off a charge down the stretch. A grim 11 of 20 effort from the free throw line by WPC was a deciding factor, while CU made 23 of 31 tries from the charity stripe.

How it Happened

• After falling behind early, Warner Pacific held the lead for the bulk of the final four minutes of the first half before entering the break tied. The Knights tied the game at 34-34 on an Earl Jones 3-pointer, but Concordia never trailed in the second half.
• The Cavaliers held a 40-38 lead with 12:03 to play before an 18-6 run created the first resemblance of separation.
• The Concordia run generated the game's largest lead, a 14-point advantage with 7:25 remaining following a dunk by Justyn Searle, but the Cavaliers did not connect on another field goal (0-for-4) and were forced into five turnovers over the remainder of the game to allow the Knights a chance at a comeback on its home court.
• Ryan Parks came off the bench to hit a trio of three pointers to give WP a lift - his third bringing the Knights to within four points (64-60) with 29 seconds to play. 
• Clinging to a three-point lead after a Coletun Tarr 3-pointer with three seconds remaining, Tyler Velasquez connected on back-to-back attempts from the line, upping his game-high point total to 27 and putting the game out of reach for WPC.
• CU scored its final 12 points of the game from the line. 

Notable

• Zach Geary gave the Cavs a boost off the bench with a pair of early 3-pointers and two more in the second half for a season-high 12 points 
• Behind Esvan Middleton's game high 17, Concordia outrebounded the Knights 50-33.
• Tarr led Warner Pacific with 15 points and was followed by Keaton Bankofier (11) and Doug Thomas (10).