ASHLAND, Ore. - In a back-and-forth battle, it was Southern Oregon who prevailed in Saturday night's Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season finale, with Multnomah falling 76-89 and locking in the No. 7 seed of this year's CCC Championships presented by U.S. Bank.

Head coach Tayo Gem had hoped for more from Saturday night's matchup against the Raiders. "It's disappointing not closing out the regular season with a win, but whatever the outcome was going to be, we knew we still had one more game." With the regular season now behind them, the Lions have a clear mindset heading into just their second post-season appearnance in program history. "Now it's simple; win or go home."

The hosts outshot Multnomah for the entirety of the contest, while also outrebounding the Lions 37-25. Multnomah came within six of SOU in the final three minutes thanks to a bucket from junior guard Lareel Stewart, but a 7-0 run anchored by Elijah Jackson helped to secure the 13-point win and No. 4 seed in this year's conferene tournament for the hosts.

Kadeem Nelson led the charge for Multnomah, tallying 14 points, three assists and a pair of rebounds. Keilan Torkonoo and Marje Windfield combined for 21 points on the night, with Windfield recording a game-high three steals. Junior guard/forward Braedon Edison added 12 points off the bench, just one point shy of 1,000 career points, while sophomore guard Noah Madsen dished out a team-high six assists.

After having just matched up against the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls on Friday night, where Multnomah lost by just five points, the Lions will head back down to Klamath Falls on Tuesday night for a 7:00 pm matchup, with hopes of continuing their historic season with a spot in the tournament semifinals.