Portland, Ore. | CC Perry Gymnasium was standing room only on Saturday night as the Knights took on No. 2 Oregon Tech. Warner Pacific fell in the contest 73-90.
 
Stephon Shaw, coming off the bench, led the Knights in scoring with 16 points and 5 rebounds.
 
Warner Pacific led the No. 2 team in the nation for 16 minutes, jumping out to a quick five-point lead and forcing an OIT time-out. The offense continued to flow for Warner Pac, continuing to score and contain the Hustlin' Owls.
 
It was at the four-minute mark of the first half that the Hustlin' Owls had crept up to take the lead from the Knights. After an exchange of buckets and a couple of sunken free throws by the Hustlin' Owls, it seemed the Knights would head into the locker room at half with a 2-point lead.
 
As Kadeem Strickland rose for a mid-range jumper with 5 seconds left, Oregon Tech's Seth Erickson blocked the attempt and tapped the ball out to Harrison Steiger who launched a 55-footer that banked in as time expired. At the break, OIT had taken a one-point lead.
 
At the start of the second half, the two teams fought, answering one another's buckets with one of their own. With 12:05 remaining, a Stephon Shaw 24-footer put the Knights back on top by one. The Hustlin' Owls responded immediately, and it wasn't long before the lead had stretched to 10, then 12 and sure enough, with four minutes to play, the Knights trailed by 16. Warner Pacific just couldn't find an offensive rhythm nor an answer to OIT's Mitchell Fink who ended the night with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
 
Kadeem Strickland and Miles Brown finished with 11 points each.
Oregon Tech's Seth Erickson had 21 points and 7 boards.
 
Warner Pacific moves to 8-7 (4-3 CCC) and will head to Northwest Christian to face the Beacons on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm.