ASHLAND –
Dominic McGarvey went for 19 points, 12 rebounds and a couple critical buckets down the stretch as Southern Oregon held off Warner Pacific, 82-78, for its sixth win in seven Cascade Conference games Saturday evening at Lithia Motors Pavilion.
The Knights (2-12 overall, 0-8 CCC) lost their 12th straight, but threatened to end the streak by hitting 11 of their first 19 3-point attempts and turning the ball over just three times. After trailing by nine points eight minutes into the second half, a barrage of Sean Johnson triples and Cade Barker's three-point play had them up 74-72 with three minutes to go.
McGarvey answered with a 3, and following a defensive stop he tipped in
Jordan Veening's miss to put the Raiders ahead 77-74. The lead was still at three points when
Casson Rouse put the Knights away with 13 seconds left by converting a floater in the lane.
Rouse got through a subpar shooting night with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists – his third 20-plus point performance in as many outings. He and McGarvey combined for 19 points in the second half.
The Raiders atoned for 38-percent shooting as a team with 23 offensive rebounds – McGarvey pulled down five and
Bryce Dyer had four – to post a 20-9 advantage in second-chance points.
Teron Bradford contributed seven points and a career-high eight assists, also helping the Raiders limit their turnover total to four.
Mason Whittaker hit three 3-pointers and scored 12.
The Knights put five players in double figures, led by Caleb Tyree-Morgan's 15. Johnson and Mark Wishom combined to shoot 5-of-7 from 3 off the bench.
WPU has lost 16 consecutive matchups against the Raiders, and 17 straight of the regular-season variety.
The league's last unbeaten team, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), fell Saturday at College of Idaho, leaving five one-loss teams atop the standings. SOU visits LCSC and Walla Walla (Wash.) next weekend.