Kirkland, WA - The Northwest men's basketball team's hard work has finally paid off as the Eagles surmounted Oregon Tech in a last second victory 80-78.
The Eagles had good looks over the past few games, especially the previous game with a close tilt against the Raiders but just fell short of the goal. The Owls headed into this matchup second in the conference with a 12-2 record and a two game win streak with wins over Eastern Oregon and Evergreen State
Just like the night before, both squads put up a show, but it was the Eagles who first stole the spotlight. The home squad dominated the first ten minutes of the scrap going up 21-10. However the Owls managed a 17-point run that shot themselves into the lead. The Eagles managed to stop the bleeding and were able to bring the game tied with 0.01 seconds left on the clock, but with a conversion on the free throw line, the Owls had the edge 37-36. The Owls were busy on the free throw line in the first half, converting 15 of 23 of their attempts which aided them in their attack.
The second half was very eventful with 13 total lead changes and plenty of shooting. The Eagles triumphed with 59.3% of their second half shots converted and half of their three-pointers nailed. The Owls splashed 44.1% of their second half shots and 45.5% of their threes. The game had to come down to the final free throw. With the game tied and five seconds left on the clock, Eagles' Nash Wobrock nailed both of his shots to send Kristi Brodin Pavilion into a frenzy for a relieving Eagles win.
Trent Williams had a stellar performance squaring up 20 points while Wobrock followed up with an 18-point night. Blake Jensen of the Owls recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds on the night.
"The effort our guys gave on back to back nights says a lot about the character of the young men in our locker room," said Head Coach Rick Skeen. "We have had a great deal of adversity and most teams would have given up and packed it in. This group has continued to work, continued to buy in, continued to trust each other and it makes me proud to be on their team. We have been trending but I was excited for them to get rewarded with a win."
