PORTLAND | With their backs against the wall, the Warner Pacific University Men's Basketball team (3-2, 1-0) pulled off an absolutely stunning come-from-behind victory Tuesday night over conference crosstown rivals Multnomah University (4-5, 0-1), fighting all the way back to defeat the Lions 86-85 on Jim Skagen Court.

After enduring what can best be described as a "slow start" for the Knights, Head Coach Jamayne Potts rallied his team to complete an 18-point first half deficit, capped off by junior guard Thomas Miles' game-winning layup with 9 seconds remaining in the game.

Jumping out to an early 5-4 lead, Warner Pacific immediately fell cold from the field, missing their next 8 shots and finding themselves in a 9-25 hole with just over 75% of the game still to be played. Unfortunate for the Knights, the Lions had all the offense they could possibly ask for, hitting 46% of their three-point attempts in the first half, including 5 straight threes to extend their early lead.

The Knights were able to scratch and claw their way back into respectable striking distance at the midway point, finishing the half on a 12-6 run to find themselves in a 12-point hole. Flipping the script on a 12-point lead is not unheard of by any means, but Coach Potts needed someone to step up and take control of this game before it got even more out of control for WPU.

In comes the leadership needed in Miles, who scored 12 second half points to set the pace for the Knights in a back-and-forth 2^nd period of play. Warner Pacific would go on to shoot 57% from the field in the last 20 minutes of the game, including 50% from beyond the arch, and hitting 13 of 14 free throws to help secure the win in their first conference matchup.

Multnomah had one last opportunity to claim the game they led for 90% of the night, as Lions' guard Forrest Smith got away one last three-point attempt before the horn sounded, but watched it clang off the rim to the home crowd's dismay, sending the Warner Pacific faithful into a frenzy.

Miles would lead all scorers in the game with 24 total points, while also managing 7 rebounds and 2 steals along the way. Despite being the leading scorer of the game, the upper-classman leadership from Miles is what sparked the Knights back into this contest, proving to be integral in Warner Pacific's rivalry win.

Senior forward Justice DeCorsi would prove to be exactly what the Knights needed in the post, scoring 15 points and bringing down 6 rebounds in just 21 minutes played. DeCorsi also dished out 3 assists tonight, which led the team alongside senior guard Tyrese Yussuf-Willis' 3 assists of his own. Yussuf-Willis added 13 points to the mix for Warner Pacific.

Lions' guard Neyland Block led Multnomah tonight in both points (20) and rebounds (6) in their first loss at home this season, while guard Amande Uchime added 19 points in the Lions' valiant effort.

Guard Taylor Peppinger was among the Lions players that just could not miss from three-point land in the first half, scoring all 15 of his points in the first nine minutes of the game, then cooling off significantly for the rest of the evening.

Warner Pacific Men's Basketball returns to action quickly after the Thanksgiving break, as they will compete in a holiday weekend tournament hosted by NCAA DIII Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. Their first game is set to start at 3pm PST on November 27^th against another NCAA DIII school from Lewis & Clark's conference, Pacific Lutheran University.