PORTLAND, Ore. – Senior Thomas Simien could not be stopped Tuesday night, hitting 10-11 from the field helping the Lions take a 123-105 victory against in-town opponent Portland Bible College. Sophomore Ben Grandle added hot shooting and a rebounding presence, posting a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds.
 
How It Happened
The Multnomah Men's team looked poised and ready to go against the visiting Wildcats of Portland Bible College. The first-half brought an up-tempo style by the Lions, with both teams trading baskets. Offense was scattered among ten different Lions in the first half, demonstrating the overall team effort needed to match the play of Portland Bible College. Despite a hurried offense from the Wildcats, Portland Bible handled the early pressure well, keeping the score close throughout the first twenty minutes of play. Freshmen Max Upchurch started the game hot with 10 points on 4-5 shooting from the field, helping Multnomah pull ahead 58-55 at the half.

Halftime adjustments proved to be the key for Multnomah, feeding the ball to big man Thomas Simien who scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half. With the Wildcats scrambling to find an answer in the post, outside shooting opened up for the Lions. Ben Grandle knocked in 9 of his 13 second-half points from behind the arc. The dominating post presence gave Junior Darius Redrick the opportunity to pick up another double-double with 18 points and 10 assists.

Strong efforts from the Wildcats included Treyveon Merriweather with 21 points and 11 rebounds; as well as Michael Acosta who led all scorers with 24.
 
Looking at the Stats
Six Lions put up double-figure points: Simien 23, Grandle 21, Redrick 18, Upchurch 14, Moe Keita 13 and Andy Brown 11.
The Lions shared the ball and the boards, outrebounding the Wildcats 53-41 and a deficit of 24-14 in the assists column.
Keita filled up his entire stat line finishing with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists.
 
What's Next?
The Men's Basketball team brings Cascade Conference action back to Multnomah on both Friday and Saturday night, taking on Eastern Oregon (2/3) and the College of Idaho (2/4). Both games are scheduled for 7:30 pm at Jim Skagen Court in Portland, Oregon. Live stats and streaming available at gomulions.com.