Box Score KIRKLAND - After Evergreen pulled to within two points with seven minutes remaining, Northwest outscored the Geoducks 20-7 the rest of the way in taking a 79-64 non-conference men's basketball win on Thursday night in NU Pavilion.

The contest was the season opener for the Geoducks, while the host Eagles improved their overall record to 3-2 with all three wins coming on their home court.

After trailing by 11 points on several occasions, including 51-40 two minutes into the second half, the Geoducks whittled away at their deficit. They pulled to within 59-57 on Kortney Darby's three-point play with about seven minutes left to play.

Northwest responded by scoring 10 unanswered points, six of them on a pair of three-point baskets, to regain a double-digit lead, 69-57, with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. Marquise Doss followed with a three-point shot for Evergreen to cut the deficit to nine points, but the Eagles put together another five-point run to put the game out of reach.

With Darby and Jordan Dam hitting three-point shots, the Geoducks raced out to a 6-0 lead one minute into the contest. After another three ball, this one by Alix Hernandez, put Evergreen on top 9-4, the Eagles answered with 13 straight points to take a lead they would not surrender.

Darby had a strong game for the Geoducks with 20 points, getting most of his points close to the basket against a much taller Northwest squad. He was 9-for-17 from the field. Hernandez finished with 11 points and at 6-feet, 1-inch paced the Geoducks with six rebounds. Frankie Johnson led both teams with six assists as Evergreen finished with 15 assists on its 25 field goals.

Despite Hernandez's best efforts, the Geoducks were beaten on the boards, 41-22, with Nemanja Grujicic taking a game-high 10 for the Eagles.

Northwest, which came into the game averaging 60.8 points per game, shot 55 percent from the field, including 42 percent (8-for-19) from three-point range. Tomas Ogbaslassie was an accurate marksman for the Eagles, shooting 9-for-13 overall and 3-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Dak Shagren and Grujicic, who was 7-for-9 near the basket, both added 15 points for the Eagles.

Evergreen returns to action this weekend at the Bon Appetit NWC Tipoff Classic in Portland, Ore., facing Linfield College on Saturday night and tournament host Lewis & Clark College on Sunday evening.