Ashland, Ore. | Warner Pacific's season was cut short within a matter of two-minutes on Tuesday night as the Raiders of Southern Oregon University managed to pull of the comeback win over the Knights in a 60-54 contest.
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The Knights came out red hot in the first quarter, leading the Raiders 16-6 after the first ten minutes of play but as the play evened out and SOU managed to find their own rhythm, WPU headed into the locker room at halftime with just a four point lead.
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Warner Pacific continued to roll in the third quarter, taking a nine-point lead with 2:33 to go in the quarter thanks to a
Darbi Pink three-pointer. The Raiders responded with six points of their own to close out the third of four quarters trailing by just three.
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In the final ten minutes of action the Raiders clawed their way back. The Knights started out the final quarter with two
Courtney Jackson free-throws to take a five point lead before SOU's Dominique Harding responded with a 23-footer to bring the game within one bucket.
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Darbi Pink, though, had herself a night, finishing with 19 points, three of which came from a step-back 24-footer with six minutes left. The very next possession, Pink received a cross-court pass from
Payton Whitmore and from even further back, found nothing but the bottom of the net and with just 5:20 left to play, the Knights had taken an 8-point lead.
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Warner Pac kept the 8-point lead until the 2:41 mark of the game, which was the start of a 14-0 run to tie, take the lead and eventually seal the victory.
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Warner Pacific forced 27 Southern Oregon turnovers.
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In her last game wearing a Warner Pacific jersey,
Darbi Pink led the Knights in scoring with 19 points, shooting 3-7 from beyond the arc while contributing on the defensive end with a career-high seven steals. The senior out of Pasco, Washington finishes her playing career with 1,086 career points, placing her at No. 4 All-Time.
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The Knights finished the season with a 13-16 overall and 10-10 in conference record.
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