COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. – Northwest went cold from the field in the second half and lost its regular-season finale at Walla Walla Saturday, 80-79.
 
The loss saw the Eagles finish fourth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Northwest hosts Eastern Oregon Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the CCC Men's Basketball Tournament presented by U.S. Bank.
 
NU experienced foul trouble with two of its seven available players fouling out with two others finishing with four fouls each. The Eagles' trouble was compounded by a 27 percent showing from the field in the second half.
 
Northwest got off to a strong start, leading by as many as 15 points in the first half before Walla Walla whittled the lead to 53-43 at the half.
 
The Wolves scored the first seven points of the second half to make it a 53-50 contest and claimed a 57-56 lead with 15:19 remaining in the game.
 
As the Eagles went 1-of-11 from the field with six turnovers in the first eight minutes of the second half, Walla Walla built a 62-56 lead. The Wolves led by as many as nine points on three occasions.
 
Northwest missed several late opportunities after Ryan Ricks got the Eagles to within three, 72-69, with 3:38 to go.
 
Down 74-69, the Eagles got four unanswered points from Christian Hakilimali to make it 74-73. After the Wolves turned the ball over, Zayne Browning got a steal and a dunk to make it 76-73 with 1:51 to play.
 
NU made one of two free throws to cut the lead to two and after WWU missed two free throws, the Eagles answered with two misses of their own with 40 seconds to go.
 
Walla Walla turned the ball over again with 31 seconds left but the Eagles missed with 22 seconds remaining. The Wolves took an 80-76 lead before Ricks hit a last-second three-pointer for the final score – the first trey of the half for NU.
 
Hakilimali led the Eagles with 27 points and 12 rebounds while Hussayn Ford added 15 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out. Ricks scored 17.
 
Northwest finishes the regular season at 18-11.