PORTLAND | In their first (counting) game at home in 13 months, the Warner Pacific Knights fell to the Eagles of Northwest University 76-82 on Saturday afternoon.

Follow the Knights on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
 
The Rundown
The Knights got off to a slow start in the contest, as the Eagles jumped out to a quick 16-6 lead but at the under-five media timeout, head coach Matt Gregg was able to get his team sorted out. Coming out of the timeout the Knights went on an 8-3 run to close the gap to five after the first ten minutes of play.

A team that struggled from the field just a night ago, Warner Pacific needed to find the nylon and find it quickly. They responded to the challenge. The team shot 47% from the field on the day.

The second period was single handedly dominated by the Knights. With the help of the sharp shooting of Courtney Jackson, who sunk three from deep, Warner Pacific managed to outscore the Eagles 29-19 in the quarter, and head into the locker room with a five point lead.

Out of the break, the hot streak shooting for the Knights continued; the team went on a 11-5 run to start the quarter, stretching their lead to 10, the largest of the game.

At the under-five mark, Northwest turned it on, going on a 7-0 to take the lead back. The game had four lead changes.

Losing their steam in the latter half of the contest, the Knights were on the prowl to close the gap for the remainder of the contest looking for a lead but unable to find it. Showing promise, Warner Pac had come within two with five minutes to play but the Eagles' force on the board weighed too much for WP and the buzzer sounded with a seven-point Knight deficit.

The Knights' defense finally looked like it should, a team historically known for speed and full-court pressure. Warner Pacific forced 21 Northwest turnovers.

Warner Pacific shot 47% from the field, an 18% increase from the night before, and 53% from the arc.

Deeper Look
Courtney Jackson led all scorers with 20; shooting 4-7 from behind the arc, 50% from the field and 100% from the stripe
Gabriella Bruno added 14 of her own
Anna Farner grabbed seven boards to lead the Knights
Warner Pacific holds a 20-10 record against Northwest

Flash Forward
Warner Pacific will travel just a few blocks down the road on Wednesday for a match up against Multnomah University before opening conference play at CC Perry Gym on Friday afternoon with a 4pm tip-off.