KIRKLAND – Northwest Christian used a third quarter full-court press to swing momentum its way and held off Northwest in the fourth quarter for an 84-80 win.
 
The Eagles led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter when Andie Kristinat filled up a three-pointer with 1:11 to go in the half, and NU had a 34-25 advantage at halftime.
 
Kristinat added another three for a 37-25 Northwest lead 24 seconds into the second half. From there, the Eagles turned the ball over five times in the next five minutes as the No. 22 Beacons took a 41-40 lead.
 
NCU took a 57-47 lead into a wild fourth quarter.
 
The Eagles scored 33 points in the final frame but could not get enough stops to completely close the gap.
 
Northwest chipped away and trimmed the NCU lead to 82-80 on a pair of Sam Van Loo free throws with 10 seconds left, but the Beacons were equal to the task and converted two free throws of their own.
 
"I was extremely proud of the way we came back in the fourth quarter after Northwest Christian took control in the third quarter," said NU Head Coach Ken Crawford. "It just comes down to the little things, and we continue to learn."
 
Morgan McKinney and Kaylen Kamelamela had 20 points each to lead NCU.
 
Van Loo had a double-double for the Eagles with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Lexi Biggerstaff scored a team-high 19 points, with Livi Lindsey adding 17. Grace Meza had five assists.
 
The Eagles return to action Saturday taking on Corban in a 5:30 p.m. contest.