COMING UP: Evergreen (0-20 overall, 0-16 CCC) goes after its first win of the season this weekend in Portland, Ore., when it plays against the Multnomah Lions on Friday and the Warner Pacific Knights on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.

FOLLOW THE GEODUCKS: Evergreen basketball fans can follow their favorite team on the road in Portland via live stats and live video stream. Click on the Schedule link on www.gogeoducks.com and then click on the plus sign underneath the opposing logos for links.

ABOUT THE GEODUCKS: The team is happy to have Alexcis Higginbotham back in the ranks after the senior guard missed six games to be with her mother, Jessie, who passed away from cancer on Monday, Jan. 28. Higginbotham averages a team-best 13.5 points per game, followed by senior forward Deidra Miller with 11.6 points per game and junior guard Angela Sikora at 11.3. Junior post Merrily Jones leads the team with averages of 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per contest. 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: By delivering one of the gutsiest performances seen throughout the entire Cascade Collegiate Conference's 2018-19 season, Alexcis Higginbotham earned Red Lion Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors. Last Tuesday night, Higginbotham made a spectacular return to the Evergreen lineup with 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Geoducks, whose upset bid came up just short in a 58-51 loss to Northwest University. Higginbotham's outstanding performance came just four days after her mother's funeral service. "A well deserved award for a great person, player, competitor and teammate," Evergreen head coach Gil Rigell said. "Alexcis continues to defy the odds and persevere through all the adversity she's faced this season."

ABOUT MULTNOMAH: The Lions (10-16 overall, 6-12 CCC) are in ninth place in the conference standings, and are still in the hunt for the eighth-and-final CCC postseason tournament berth. Junior guard Sequoia Wheeler has been a standout for Multnomah this season with an average of 16.2 points per game, while 6-6 junior forward Erykah Campbell contributes 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

THE FIRST TIME: Sequoia Wheeler drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with 4.0 seconds to play and Milan Woods added a steal and free throw with 0.9 seconds left as Multnomah defeated Evergreen, 79-77, in a conference game played Dec. 1 in Olympia. Wheeler led the Lions with 26 points, including five three-point baskets, while Merrily Jones paced the Geoducks with 28 points and 11 rebounds.

THE SERIES: Evergreen has won six of the eight games between the two clubs since Multnomah joined the conference prior to the 2015-16 season. The Geoducks swept the Lions last season, winning 67-48 in Portland and 72-40 at home.

ABOUT WARNER PACIFIC: With a first round postseason road game safely tucked away, the sixth-place Knights (13-12 overall, 9-9 CCC) are hoping to finish the regular season on a strong note. Sophomore guard Gabriella Bruno has started only three games this season but leads the team with an average of 11.3 points per game, followed by senior forward Deepika Kapil with averages of 10.2 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds. Warner Pacific is a deep team and as a result plays uptempo on both offense and defense. The balanced lineup is reflected in the stats as nine WPU players average at least 5.4 points per game. 

THE FIRST TIME: Warner Pacific scorched the nets from long range, shooting 10-for-22 from outside the three-point line in registering a 79-65 win over Evergreen in the conference opener for both teams played Nov. 30 in Olympia. Angela Sikora scored a game-high 15 points for the Geoducks.

RECENT RESULTS: Warner Pacific has won 14 of the 24 meetings between the two teams dating back to the 2007-08 season, though the Geoducks have won six of the past 10. Last year, Evergreen won at Warner, 67-57, before the Knights returned the favor in Olympia by a 62-53 score. 

LAST WEEK: The Geoducks battled to the closing seconds before losing to Northwest University, 58-51, last Tuesday night in Olympia. As noted earlier, Alexcis Higginbotham was electric with 20 points and seven points for the home team. Evergreen was to have played Walla Walla University in back-to-back conference counters last Saturday and Sunday in College Place, Wash., but inclement weather and hazardous travel conditions caused a postponement. The status of those games has yet to be decided.