KIRKLAND – It was a special night in the Pavilion with a 1000^th career point, a first coaching win over a rival, and most importantly, a clinched playoff berth.
 
The Eagles, who lost by 35 to Warner Pacific just three weeks ago, turned the tables for a 90-73 win Saturday.
 
"What a special night," said NU Head Coach Jeff Drinkwine after his first coaching win against the Knights. "Hussayn got his 1000^th point in a home game against a team like Warner Pac. We haven't beaten them since I've been here as a head coach."
 
The win gives NU an 11-4 conference mark and seals a spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference postseason tournament with five conference contests remaining.
 
The Eagles did it Saturday with a monstrous inside game and some unselfish guard play.
 
Ford had 22 points and 11 rebounds to pad his national lead in double-doubles. Tanner Davis worked his way to 22 points. That tandem shot 81.4 percent from the field for the night.
 
"Our big guys were a presence tonight," Drinkwine said. "Tanner had a great game, and he and Hussayn were 22 for 29."
 
The guards also played a huge role with Ryan Ricks getting 20 points, while Christian Hakilimali narrowly missed a triple-double with nine points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists.
 
"Chris played so well tonight," Drinkwine said. "That close to a triple-double; he had a great night."
 
The Eagles found themselves behind 32-29 with 5:49 left in the first half before Davis scored inside, and Dejwan Walker added a three-pointer for a 34-32 lead just 48 seconds later. The Eagles had a 44-39 lead at the half.
 
The Knights shot their way back into a 56-55 lead with 15:24 left in the game, but the Eagles would not quit. Davis again wrestled the lead away from the Knights at the 15:09 mark, triggering a 12-0 run. Ford and Davis had four points each, and Ricks and Walker added three-pointers in the spree that ended with NU leading 67-56 with 12:36 showing.
 
The milestone 1000^th point for Ford came with 9:02 remaining, and the home crowd roared their approval of the announcement.
 
Ford scored on successive dunks to wrap up the scoring and give the Eagles the largest margin of the night.
 
Kadeem Strickland led WPU with 23 points, with Miles Brown adding 21.
 
The Eagles, 16-8 overall, head to Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho next weekend.