BOX SCORE

SALEM, Ore. – Key three-pointer shooting down the stretch by Corban's men's basketball team could not overcome a 13-point halftime deficit, as the Warriors fell to the NAIA's No. 12-ranked Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon, 81-72, Saturday inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

Freshman Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) led all scorers with a game-high 23 points, while junior Jake Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.) and sophomore Jacob Kopra (Gresham, Ore.) added 15 and 12 points respectively on a combined 6-for-9 shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Junior Erik Cronrath (Battle Ground, Wash.) added nine points, while freshman Josiah Sebens (Bellingham, Wash.) came off the Warriors' bench to provide five points and a team-high six rebounds to go along with Carter's game-high eight assists.

A back-and-forth battle over the opening five minutes would result in a slim one-point lead (10-9) for Corban following a Mauermann three-pointer from the corner with 14:36 on the clock. Over the next 11 minutes, Eastern Oregon used a 24-6 run en route to grabbing its largest lead of the first half (33-16) after a lay-in by Travares Peterson at the 3:39 mark. Corban would fight back and settled for a 13-point halftime deficit (39-26) after a lay-in by EOU's Thomas McCarthy that capped the scoring over the opening twenty minutes.

The second half began with Corban turning its deficit to single digits (39-30) after a Cronrath lay-in with 18:40 remaining. Unfortunately, the highly-ranked Eastern Oregon squad would quickly push its lead to 20 points (58-38) after a Peterson jumper with 13:35 left. Over the next 13 minutes, Corban used a 33-19 run to pull within six points (77-71) after a Mauermann three-pointer with 44 seconds left. Unfortunately, timely free throw shooting in the final minute by Eastern Oregon would seal the win for the visiting Mountaineers (81-72).

Eastern Oregon was led in scoring by Anthony Brown with 12 points, while four other Mountaineers – Jamar Johnson, J.C. Cook, Peterson, and McCarthy – added 11, 11, 11, and 10 points respectively. On the boards, Peterson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to go along with a team-high six assists by Brown.

As a team, Corban shot 27-for-61 (44.3%) from the field to go along with a 7-for-23 (30.4%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a 11-for-18 (61.1%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Eastern Oregon was a combined 28-for-63 (44.4%) from the field, 9-for-30 (30.0%) from long distance, and 16-for-21 (76.2%) at the charity stripe.

With tonight's result, Corban falls to 13-8 overall and 3-6 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Eastern Oregon pushes its winning streak to two games improving to 15-3 overall and 7-2 in league games. The Warriors will return to the floor on Friday, January 21st, against the NAIA's No. 14-ranked Eagles of Northwest beginning at 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.