CCC CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESENTED BY U.S. BANK
TUESDAY – QUARTERFINALS
(1) Lewis-Clark State 61, (8) College of Idaho 58
(2) Southern Oregon 75, (7) Northwest 50
(3) Eastern Oregon 70, (6) Warner Pacific 61
(4) Bushnell 83, (5) Oregon Tech 77 (OT)
FRIDAY – SEMIFINALS
Lewis-Clark State 71, Bushnell 53
Southern Oregon 65, Eastern Oregon 58
MONDAY – CHAMPIONSHIP
7 p.m. – Southern Oregon at Lewis-Clark State

ASHLAND – Running out the clock on rival Eastern Oregon sweetened the taste of Southern Oregon's semifinal victory Friday night in the Cascade Conference Championships presented by U.S. Bank. Clinching a spot in the NAIA National Tournament made it even sweeter.

With a 65-58 win over the No. 3-seeded Mountaineers, the second-seeded Raiders preserved their perfect home record at Lithia Motors Pavilion and earned a spot in the CCC Tournament title game. They advanced to play Monday at 19th-ranked Lewis Clark State (Idaho), which already earned the conference's first automatic bid to the 64-team NAIA Championships Opening Round – meaning, win or lose, the second one belongs to SOU.

"I couldn't be more proud of this group," first-year SOU head coach Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. "They've earned everything and I can't wait to watch them play in more big games together."

The Raiders (27-5), in their 15th home win of the season and 16th straight dating back to the 2020 CCC Tournament, led for the final 37 minutes. Their 13-point lead was cut to two in the third quarter, where EOU (22-10) outscored them 13-4, but they had answers for everything down the stretch.

Senior guard Dominique Harding had 15 points and three steals, sophomore forward Kami Walk went 7-of-13 for 15 points and five rebounds, and Syd'Nee Fryer totaled 13 points, six rebounds and three steals. The trio combined for 21 of SOU's 24 fourth-quarter points.

The Raiders have eliminated EOU in two straight CCC Tournament semifinals: they clinched a national tourney bid with a win on the Mountaineers' home court in 2020, before which EOU had won nine straight games in the series.

Junior guard Brianna Phiakhamngon added 10 points, and her 3-pointer before the first-half buzzer put SOU ahead 37-24 at the break.

The Raiders lagged offensively in the third, shooting 1-of-12 to give the Mountaineers an opening.

Fryer extended a 47-41 lead with 5:52 to play by gathering Danasia Allison's dish and making a 3-pointer. Up seven with four minutes to play, the Raiders forced a turnover and Harding stepped into a straight-on 3.

The Raiders sealed the outcome by making 6-of-8 at the free-throw line over the final 1:27.

They held EOU guard Sailor Liefke – who scored 32 against them in EOU's 68-65 win on Jan. 22 – to four points over the first three quarters. She tacked on nine more in the fourth.

"Eastern made their runs and we stayed composed and made the plays we needed," Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. "Defense held us all season and did it again tonight, and the Raider faithful pushed us over the edge. We can't thank everyone enough for coming out in red and being the greatest fans in the CCC."

Haley Robinett led the Mountaineers with 16 points. Taylor Stricklin contributed 12 points and six boards.

At 7 p.m. Monday, the Raiders will get a chance to avenge last week's 60-55 loss at LC State. The Warriors defeated fourth-seeded Bushnell in their semifinal, 71-53.

SOU will appear in the NAIA National Tournament for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Opening Round will be held March 11-12 on campus sites, and the field will be announced next Thursday.