by ASHLAND, Ore. – An impressive 29 point, 18 rebound performance by Northwest U’s Miranda Langenhorst would not be enough as No. 4 Southern Oregon would edge the Eagles, 90-87, in conference play this afternoon. Charmaine Bradford‘s 2-point try at the buzzer would miss the mark as the Raiders would hold on for the win.
Langenhorst was 13 for 16 for the game, 81 per cent and grabbed a game high 18 rebounds as the Eagles had four players score in double figures. NU came out determined taking a 30-17 first quarter lead. Langenhorst would score 12 of those points while grabbing 7 rebounds. Six straight points by the sophomore post would give NU a 20-8 lead with 3:39 left in the period as the Eagles would shoot 55 per cent in the first half. Mariah Stacona‘s (Warm Springs Tribe) 3-pointer with 1:18 on the clock would give NU their largest lead of the quarter at 28-12.
SOU would heat up in the second quarter and close the gap, but with 6:33 left until halftime, Langenhorst’s lay-up in the paint would keep the Eagle in front by 12, 36-24. The Raiders would whittle the NU lead down to five three times, but Victoria Makin‘s 3-pointer with 2 seconds on the clock would give NU a 52-44 lead at the halftime break.
Northwest U would maintain the lead most of the third period, but with 57 seconds left in the quarter Tiani Bradford’s two free throws would tie the game at 65-65. After an Eagle miss, SOU’s Nitteayah would give the Raiders a brief 66-65 lead, but Miranda Langenhorst and the Eagles would answer with her lay-up with 6 seconds to go as NU would maintain a narrow, 67-61 lead.
The final period would be close the entire way with three ties and neither team able to pull away. Langenhorst would give NU a 77-72 lead with 6:34 to go in the game, but Toria Bradford would tie the game on a driving lay-up at the 3:54 mark to tie the game at 82-all. Trailing 8685, two straight NU turnovers would prove costly as SOU’s Bradford would sink two free throws with 18 seconds to go to put SOU up 88-85. Charmaine Bradford would pull NU to within one, 88-87 with her jumper with 5 seconds to go, but Toria Bradford would hit two free throws to give the Raiders the lead for good, 90-87, with 4 ticks left on the clock. Bradford would then dribble the length of the court and miss a jumper inside the three point line as time would expire.
In addition to Langenhorst’s big game, Northwest U (8-7, 3-2 CCC) got 13 points from Charmaine Bradford and Mariah Stacona and Hannah Carlson both scored 12 for the Eagles who shot an impressive 48 per cent for the game including 11 for 24 from the 3-point line (46 per cent). Bradford also had a game high 7 assists. NU out rebounded the Raiders 43-37 with 15 offensive rebounds.
For Southern Oregon (11-1, 4-0 CCC), Autumn Durand led the way with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Toria Bradford dropped in 22 points and Tiani Bradford scored 12 points along with 5 assists. SOU hit 43 per cent of their shots, but the Eagles held them to 25 per cent shooting from beyond the 3-point line. The Raiders went to the free throw line 30 times converting 26 for 87 per cent.
“It was a great game this afternoon,” commented Ken Crawford, NU head coach. “and, it was an outstanding effort by the lady Eagles. I am really proud of the way we played the entire 40 minutes against the No. 4, Southern Oregon Raiders. It was a great learning opportunity and something we can really build on for the future. Now, we have a few days off and then return to get ready for the major part of the conference season.”
