via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Noah Madsen made his first four 3-point attempts, part of a career-high 22-point night, as Multnomah kept their men’s basketball program alive, upsetting Oregon Tech, 84-75, in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank.
The Lions (17-11) picked up their school’s first-ever CCC postseason win – and despite the impending closure of their campus – advanced to meet No. 3-seed Lewis-Clark State on Friday in the tournament quarterfinals.
OIT (22-7) will await their NAIA Tournament fate – either earning the CCC’s second automatic bid if regular-season champ College of Idaho wins the CCC Tournament title (as Tech was the regular-season runner-up), or receiving an at-large bid to the tournament. The bracket will be unveiled on March 6.
Madsen was the story for Nomah, knocking down 4-straight triples during the opening 13 minutes – the last giving the Lions a 34-25 lead. The Owls, who were held scoreless for a five-minute window of the period, rode Kam Osborn, who converted twice on tough drives and splashed a 25-foot triple, pulling the hosts within 36-34 late in the period.
The visitors answered, recording back-to-back steals and transition points to cap the period, extending the margin to 40-34 at the half.
The former Multnomah University (now Multnomah Campus of Jessup University) kept Tech at length in the second half, pushing the lead to 72-59 on a Braedon Edison lay-up.
The Owls didn’t quit, as Keegan Shivers hit a three and following an Erik Fraser steal, Jamison Guerra canned a triple. A Nomah turnover and a missed jumper were followed by four-straight Osborn points – pulling the hosts within 72-69. Tech had a chance to cut into the deficit further, but a missed lay-up was followed by tough inside basket by Edison, with Madsen putting the game out of reach with a backdoor lay-up.
Edison scored 21 points and Kadeem Nelson scored 15, as the Lions made 53% of their field goals and forced 16 OIT turnovers.
Osborn led all scorers with 28 points, with Shivers scoring 14 and Guerra adding 11 – but both players played the majority of the second half with four fouls. The Owls dropped a CCC quarterfinal game for the fourth time in six seasons – but advanced past the first round of the NAIA Tournament following the early exit in both 2019 and 2022.
CCC Quarterfinals: No. 1 College of Idaho 88, No. 8 Bushnell 61; No. 7 Multnomah 84, No. 2 Oregon Tech 75; No. 3 LC State 88, No. 6 Corban 75; No. 4 Southern Oregon 80, No. 5 Eastern Oregon 70.
CCC Semifinals: No. 4 Southern Oregon at No. 1 College of Idaho, Friday, 6 p.m.; No. 7 Multnomah at No. 3 LC State, Friday, 7 p.m.