NAMPA, Idaho – The Crusaders earned a bit of Christmas cheer Saturday night.

Battered by injuries the first two months of the season, the Northwest Nazarene men went into a three-week break with momentum as they knocked off Walla Walla 88-82 in a nonconference game at the Johnson Sports Center.

"It's great to go into Christmas break on a high note," NNU coach Dave Daniels said.

The win was the second in the last three outings for NNU (3-7 overall, 1-1 GNAC), and comes one week after a big road win in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play that puts the Crusaders right in the thick of the league race, which resumes when NNU returns after celebrating Christmas.

And the Crusaders get to enjoy the celebration with the thought of a victory fresh in their minds, as NNU erased a six-point first half deficit and weathered the best offensive night of the season by Walla Walla (0-14).

The Wolves – who averaged 5.6 3-pointers a game coming in - hit 15 3-pointers in the game and shot a season-best 45.5 percent from beyond the arc, led by Luke Spady who scored 23 points. Spady's 3 with 5:22 left in the first half put the Wolves in front 29-23.

That offensive explosion tested NNU – which came in fresh off finals this past week – and the Crusaders passed the test, taking a 35-31 lead before halftime on two Matyas Hering free throws.

Walla Walla managed a pair of 1-point leads early in the second half, and tied the game 49-49 on a Clark Woodworth 3 with 13:30 remaining, before the Crusaders inched away.

A 3-pointer by Grayson Moore – who for the second straight game scored a career high – followed by a Michael Loomis bucket and a Hering 3, stretched NNU's advantage to 57-49 with 10:59 to play, and the Crusaders never trailed again.

The Wolves got close late, trimming the lead to 79-78 on two Chad Torkelson free throws with 1:16 on the clock, but NNU hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute to help ice the victory.

A win that saw Moore scored 25 points and grab seven rebounds just four days after he scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds against long-time rival The College of Idaho.

"Grayson has now played back-to-back games with great confidence," said Daniels, who was equally pleased with Kevin Rima's 17 points and eight rebounds and the 21 points and seven boards by Loomis.

"Kevin continued to dominate inside and on the boards," NNU's coach added, "and I'm excited to see Michael Loomis continue to grow into a high-caliber player."

Added momentum for a Crusader team that played its last three games with two starters on the bench nursing injuries.

Now, NNU gets to rest for three weeks, and get ready for the GNAC race, as the Crusaders return to action on Jan. 4 when they host Central Washington.