Box Score



NAMPA, Idaho – The "Clamp-Down Crusaders" did it once again.

Northwest Nazarene's men's basketball team spotted visiting Central Washington a seven point lead early in the second half then clamped down on defense and took that advantage away, scoring a 66-64 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory in front of more than 1,000 happy fans at the Johnson Sports Center on Saturday night.
 

"Really, really proud of the second half because the guys didn't quit," NNU head men's basketball coach Dave Daniels said.

NNU (9-11, 7-3 GNAC) didn't quit after the Wildcats built a 32-23 lead on a Marc Rodgers 3-pointer with 5 ½ left in the first half, nor did the Crusaders cave with Central Washington in front 43-36 with a minute gone in the final stanza.

Instead, the Crusaders went to work on defense, holding the Wildcats (12-5, 7-3) to one field goal over the next 7 minutes.

That set the tone for the rest of the game, as NNU tied it – 48-48 – on a Mike Wright 3-pointer with 10 ½ minutes to play, starting a see-saw race to the finish line.

A race the Crusaders won as they twice built six-point leads late, up 61-55 on a Bouna N'Diaye 3 with 3 minutes left and ahead 64-58 following an Alex Birketoft triple with just under a minute to play.

The Wildcats made a final charge and tied it, 64-64, on two Devin Matthews free throws before the Crusaders finally won when Mike Wright drove to the basket and was fouled with 3.7 ticks left on the scoreboard clock.

The Crusaders point guard calmly stepped to the charity stripe and sank both shots for a two-point lead that NNU preserved with a final "Clam-Down" defense stand.
 

"I just thought it was a gutsy team win," Daniels said.

Gutsy as NNU overcame the fact that leading scorer Erik Kinney was hampered much of the second half by foul trouble, and leading rebounder Kevin Rima was sidelined temporarily after a collision midway through the final period.

"Every guy that touched the floor I thought really competed and battled," NNU's coach said, as Birketoft led the way for the Crusaders with a career-high 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.

Rima also chipped in his 14^th career double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 boards, while Kinney scored 11 in the win for the Crusaders.

A win that completes the season sweep of the Wildcats by NNU, which is back in action at home next weekend hosting St. Martin's on Thursday and league-leading Western Oregon on Saturday.