Clippers Bow Out of NWAC Tournament, Lose to Columbia Basin 62-57

PASCO, Wash. — The Clippers Men's Basketball (18-11, 8-6) fought valiantly but their tournament dreams ended in Pasco with a loss to the second seed from the east, the Columbia Basin Hawks (19-8, 11-3). NWAC Defensive Player of the Year for the West Region, Jazen Guillory, and Clips guard/forward Marcus Lawson led the team in points, finishing the game with 17 points and 14 points respectively.

The Clippers started the game strong, going up 15-7 in the first five minutes of the game, with Lawson leading the charge with eight points. Near the end of the first half, the Clips were looking sharp and held a 29-18 advantage as they looked to go into the break with a sizeable lead. However, the Hawks were ignited by their leading scorers — Anton Williams and Ta'Veus Randle — and closed the gap, going into halftime only down by five.

The second half was a see-saw battle between both teams as they were going shot for shot. With 10 minutes left in the game, the Clippers were holding on to a 43-38 lead. Guillory showed why he was also selected to the First-Team All-Region and led the Clips in scoring in the second half with 10 points. Unfortunately for the Clippers, their slight lead started to dwindle and was eventually lost when Hawks forward Lauren O'Neill hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Columbia Basin a 48-45 lead.

The Hawks were able to stretch their lead to six points but the Clippers were not to go down without a fight. With 55 seconds in the game, Clippers forward Jemoi Davis hit a clutch three to tie the game at 55. However, Hawks guard Jayden Martinez answered back with a three of his own, and that was effectively the dagger for the Clippers. They tried to get shots to go down in the final stretch but could not find the mark, ending their tournament run at the Sweet 16 game with a 62-57 defeat against the hosts.