Visiting Warner Pacific outscored Evergreen by 23 points in the second half and five players scored in double figures as the Knights defeated the Geoducks, 96-62, in the Cascade Collegiate Conference men's basketball opener for both teams played Friday night inside Costantino Recreation Center.

Collin Malcolm, Morris Bethea and Brandon Bell all tallied 14 points for the Knights (7-2 overall, 0-1 CCC), who are ranked No. 17 in NAIA Division II men's basketball. The Geoducks (4-4, 0-1) got 16 points from Elijah Fuller and 11 points apiece from Brandon Kohler and Ryan Quigley.

Evergreen got off to a hot start with Fuller scoring five straight points and Quigley adding a bucket in a 7-0 run to start the contest. Warner Pacific took its first lead at 10-9 on a Jalen Ballard jumper in the key at the 15:23 mark, and the two teams exchanged the lead over the next five minutes until the Knights finally went on top for good. That came on a Malcolm three ball that made it a 25-23 score with 10:27 left in the half.

From that point on, the Knights added to their lead, going on top by as many as 36 points in the late going before settling for the 34-point victory.

Joining Malcolm, Bethea and Bell in double figures for the victors were Quintin Bethea with 13 points and Ballard with 10. Warner enjoyed a 37-31 edge in rebounding led by Terrance Weinecke off of the bench with six. Of the 13 Knights to see playing time, only one did not score or grab a rebound. 

Evergreen ended at 44.4 percent shooting (24-for-54) overall and 40.0 percent from beyond the three-point line (6-for-15). Dalton Groenewold came off of the bench to lead the team with eight rebounds in addition to scoring seven points. 

Both teams return to action tomorrow night, the Geoducks hosting the high-scoring Multnomah Lions and Warner Pacific traveling to Kirkland to face Northwest University.