Corban sophomore Erik Cronrath
Jacob Bowdoin
Sophomore Erik Cronrath was a perfect 4-for-4 off the bench, including this crowd-pleasing dunk, as he helped Corban upset No. 13-ranked Eastern Oregon on Friday.

Men's Basketball

Quintet Helps Warriors Upset Ranked Mounties

BOX SCORE

SALEM, Ore. – Five players scored in double figures, as Corban's men's basketball team upset its second straight nationally-ranked opponent thanks to a 75-73 victory over the NAIA's No. 13-ranked Eastern Oregon Friday night inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

With its second straight victory, Corban improves to 8-19 overall and 3-13 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Eastern Oregon has its four-game winning streak snapped en route to falling to 18-7 overall and 11-4 in league play.

"Tonight's win obviously feels great," commented eighth-year head coach Justin Sherwood. "Our moral is as high as it has been all year and it is good to see us have this success to wind up the season after a lot of tough losses. With a chance to still make the playoffs, we need to keep going with confidence, as the guys believe they can win."

Senior Ben Potloff (Keizer, Ore.) led the Warriors in scoring with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, while four other Corban players – junior Ian Logan (Aloha, Ore.), junior Nash Keene (Aumsville, Ore.), junior Deonte Johnson (Modesto, Calif.), and sophomore Erik Cronrath (Battle Ground, Wash.) – added 15, 12, 12, and 10 points respectively. Johnson would lead the Warriors' rebounding effort with five boards, while sophomore Brelin Powell (Boise, Idaho) handed out a team-leading four assists for Corban.

Corban came out of the gate with guns blazing and scored the opening six points before securing an 11-point lead (15-4) following a Potloff three-pointer with 14:17 remaining. Eastern Oregon would battle back to take a one-point lead (18-17) thanks to a 13-3 run over a span of seven-plus minutes, as Jordan Gregg would capped the run via a lay-up with 6:52 on the clock. Neither team would grab more than a three-point lead over the final six-plus minutes, as Corban settled for a two-point advantage (28-26) at the half thanks to a Logan jumper and Johnson free throw in the final 40 seconds.

In the second half, both teams would battle to a 40-40 tie with 13:43 to go before Corban used a 17-4 run over a span of four-plus minutes en route to grabbing a game-high 13-point lead (57-44) following a run-closing Keene three-pointer with 9:05 left. Eastern Oregon used its never-say-die attitude and pulled within two points (69-67) with 36 ticks on the clock thanks to a deep three-pointer by Dan Stafford. Fortunately for the host Warriors, timely free shooting coupled with timely defense would seal the victory as Corban went a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe in the final 34 seconds.

Eastern Oregon was led by Gregg, who registered game highs of 28 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, Cody Thurmond and Stafford added 17 and 13 points respectively to go along with a five-rebound, three-assist effort from Stafford.

As a team, Corban shot 28-for-47 (59.6%) from the field that included a 15-for-22 (68.2%) showing in the second half. The Warriors were also 5-for-12 (41.7%) from beyond the three-point line and 14-for-19 (73.7%) at the free throw line. On the other hand, Eastern Oregon was 29-for-65 (44.6%) from the field, 6-for-20 (30.0%) from long range, and 9-for-15 (60.0%) at the charity stripe.

Corban will return to the hardwood tomorrow night – Saturday, February 13th – against The College of Idaho beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem.

NOTE: Before the opening tip between the Warriors and Coyotes, Corban's lone senior – Potloff – will be honored and thanked for his time donning the navy and gold over the past four seasons.
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