ASHLAND – Casson Rouse dropped 25 points, and his second-half flurry kept Multnomah from catching Southern Oregon in a 79-70 victory Friday night at Lithia Motors Pavilion that made the Raiders 5-1 in the Cascade Conference.

SOU (7-5 overall) never trailed after opening the game on a 12-0 run, but its 10-point halftime edge was down to three with less than four minutes gone in the second half. That's when Rouse chimed in with a personal 11-0 run – downing three straight 3-pointers and getting to the basket for a fourth bucket on consecutive possessions.

He scored 19 after the break and shot 9-of-18 overall from the field. In two games since becoming eligible, the junior guard from Lacey, Wash., has totaled 51 points. Another Raider freshly cleared by the NAIA, 6-foot-8 Eastern Washington transfer Jordan Veening, debuted with eight points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench.

The Raiders had an 11-point edge at the free-throw line, where they shot 23-of-28. Cole McAninch was perfect on six attempts to finish with 12 points and five rebounds, scoring in double figures for the fifth consecutive game off the bench.

Junior forward Khalil Chatman added 12 more, eight of which he amassed during SOU's game-opening spurt. He pulled down five rebounds, and Dominic McGarvey added seven points, four blocked shots and four boards inside.

James Sanders led the Lions (7-6 overall, 2-5 CCC) with 18 points. His 3-pointer trimmed SOU's lead to 66-59 with six minutes remaning, but Teron Bradford kept the Raiders comfortably ahead with a put-back on the other end during a stretch in which they strung together five straight defensive stops.

Tyrese Taylor added a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double for the Lions, and Neyland Block went for 11 points, seven assists and seven boards.

Behind unbeaten Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), the Raiders remain among four one-loss teams in the CCC standings. They'll welcome in last-place Warner Pacific at 5 p.m. Saturday.