West
Photo by Mike Safford.
68
Winner Southern Oregon SOU 26-9
62
Grace (Ind.) GRC 22-11
Winner
Southern Oregon SOU
26-9
68
Final
62
Grace (Ind.) GRC
22-11
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Southern Oregon SOU 35 33 68
Grace (Ind.) GRC 39 23 62

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | \SOU Sports Information

West's career day gets Raiders past Grace, into Elite Eight

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – While lamenting their imperfections after Thursday's first-round upset of Midland (Neb.) at the NAIA Division II Tournament, members of the Southern Oregon coaching staff joked that they might have the worst 25-win team in the nation.

On Friday afternoon at Keeter Gymnasium, the 21st-ranked Raiders marched into the Elite Eight for the second time in program history. So make it the worst 26-win team in the nation.

Twenty-four hours removed from upsetting, SOU was fine with just surviving a 68-62 win over 24th-ranked Grace (Ind.), which had upset seventh-seeded Bellevue (Neb.) on Thursday.

Junior forward Jordan West (Gymea Bay, Australia/Port Hacking) again made it possible by following up his game-winning shot in the first round with a career-high 32 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 38.5 seconds remaining. He went 13-for-21 from the field with four rebounds, and has now scored 20-plus points in four of five postseason games since being passed up for All-Cascade Conference recognition.

The Raiders' knack for just getting by has them at 13-2 this season in games that have been within two points in the final two minutes. It also has them in the national quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday against second-seeded Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (34-1).

Tim Weber (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) helped with 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals – his 11th double-double of the season – and Eric Thompson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) had 11 points and five boards.

Along with being in the quarterfinals for the second time (the first was in 2005), SOU (26-9 overall) has also set a school record for wins.

This one appeared dubious at times, especially when Grace (22-11) got off to a 24-14 start and led 39-35 at halftime on 16-of-31 shooting. The Lancers cooled down in the second half, however, making 8 of 24 attempts.

SOU didn't take its first lead until scoring six straight points, capped by a West baby-hook shot, to go up 50-49 with 11 minutes left. Its largest lead was 59-53 at the six-minute mark after a deep Thompson 3-pointer and a couple free throws.

Grace clawed back in at the free-throw line, and Caleb Featherston's fade-away 18-footer at the end of the shot clock cut the Raider lead to 62-61 with 1:59 remaining. After a Raider miss on the other end, Dennis Williams made one of two free throws to tie it with 50 seconds left.

That's when Weber found West down low, and West got his man in the air to draw the foul. After West's free throws, Logan Irwin missed the front end of a one-and-one for the Lancers, Tim Weber (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) was fouled while gathering the rebound and Williams was called for a technical for shoving Weber after the whistle.

Six made free throws later, the Raiders were on their way.

Featherston had 13 points to lead the Lancers, while Irwin and Chad Hoffer scored 12 apiece.

Thompson went 2-for-4 at the 3-point line, giving him 278 in four years to break the SOU career 3-point record that Kyle Tedder (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) set last season.

Saturday's matchup will mark the first ever between SOU and Embry-Riddle, which was the Sun Conference champion. Embry-Riddle defeated unranked Friends (Kan.) on Thursday, 76-47, and No. 15 Union (Ky.) on Friday, 89-75. 
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