Phoenix, AZ- Arizona Christian made up for subpar first half shooting by burying their free throws in the second half for the 81-76 win over Southern Oregon on Thursday.  Junior Chris Sterling topped all scorers with 22 points keyed by hitting 4-7 shots from behind the three point line.

Senior Brandon Newman opened the scoring in the game with a three pointer on the first ACU possession of the night.

The Raiders (2-1) responded with the next five points including a three of their own to grab a 5-3 lead.

After Arizona Christian moved back in front and built a five point lead, Southern Oregon answered to tie the score at 10-10 less than five minutes into the contest.

A seesaw game broke out with several lead changes and ties resulting in the visitors ahead 22-21 with 6:32 to play in the half.  But two consecutive baskets from Senior Mike Navar sandwiched around a SOU turnover pushed the Firestorm back in front- a position they hold through the half.

Up 35-29 at the break, Newman and Sterling concluded the half with nine points apiece.  ACU made only 14 of 41 shots in the first 20 minutes of action to keep SOU in striking distance.

Out of the break, the Firestorm (2-0) used the first eight minutes and change to increase their lead out to a 14 point advantage.  Junior Wolfgang Wood scored two while being fouled and knocked down the ensuing free throw to reach the 14 point edge.

Down 11 at 64-53 with seven minutes to play, Southern Oregon did anything but fold the tents.  In fact, thanks to a three point play and two three pointers, the Raiders countered with a 13-2 run to tie the score one final time at 66-66.

A heavy dose of Senior Bobby Gray in the final three and a half minutes gave ACU the edge they needed to secure the win.  Gray scored nine of his 16 points while making 7-8 free throws in that time frame.  He finished 9-10 from the charity stripe- all in the second half.

Newman concluded the night with 18 points.  Navar was the fourth ACU player to reach double figures as he ended with an even 10 points.

Southern Oregon made 18 shots including seven three pointers versus 13 made field goals (four three pointers) for Arizona Christian in the second act.  But the Firestorm secured the win by making 16-18 free throws in the second half.  The Raiders shot a dismissal 4-12 (33.3%) from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes.

Head Coach Jeff Rutter, "We did a great job on (Jordan) West (2-12 FG, 5 turnovers).  He was a huge part of their Elite 8 run at the NAIA tournament last year and I thought as a team, we did a good job of swarming him and not letting him get into a rhythm.  Unfortunately, we did not shoot real well in the first half, we did not take full advantage of a pretty good half of defense."

Rutter added, "They are a well-coached team and difficult to guard.  They carved us up last year, so overall I was pleased with our defensive improvement.  We still have a long way to go though.  Allowing a team to shoot 7-10 from three down the stretch is something that needs to change. It was nice to have Sharif back tonight, he gave us a lift with some highlight plays.  But we need to get more solid defensively and much more patient on offense."

The Firestorm will return to the court on Saturday at 7:30 pm as they host Embry-Riddle (AZ).  Embry-Riddle will actually face Southern Oregon in ACU's Fultz Gym on Friday evening at 5:00 pm.