BOX SCORE

PORTLAND, Ore. – One night after being held without a field goal in overtime, Corban's men's basketball team shot nearly 63% in the extra frame and picked up a much-needed Cascade Collegiate Conference victory over rival Concordia, 79-78, Saturday inside Cavalier Gymnasium.

Freshman Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) scored a game and career-high 29 points to go along with a game-high tying 10 rebounds, while senior Ian Logan (Aloha, Ore.) was the only other Warrior in double figures with 24 points. Juniors Jake Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.) and Erik Cronrath (Battle Ground, Wash.) added nine and eight points respectively, while Logan pulled down six rebounds and Cronrath handed out a team-high four assists.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team grabbed more than a three-point lead over the opening five-plus minutes. With the score in favor of Corban, 14-11, the host Cavaliers used a 10-0 run over a span of two-plus minutes en route to grabbing a 21-14 lead thanks to an Austin Dunn three-pointer with 12:44 on the clock. The visiting Warriors would battle back to tie the game at 21-all thanks to a 7-0 run that was capped by a three-point basket by senior Nash Keene (Aumsville, Ore.) with 9:13 remaining. The game would be tied four more times over the next seven minutes until Concordia used a 5-0 run to close out the first half en route to taking a 36-31 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, Concordia would hold onto its lead over the opening nine-plus minutes until Corban grabbed its first lead since the 4:29 mark of the first half thanks to a Mauermann three-pointer that made the score 51-50 with 10:43 left in regulation. Over the next four minutes, the visiting Warriors used a 10-6 run that would result in a five-point Corban lead (61-56) after a pair of Carter free throws with 6:30 on the clock. Concordia would battle back to tie the game for the ninth time at 61-all thanks to a 5-0 run over a two-minute span that was capped with a Kevan West dunk with 4:33 to play. Neither team would surrender to its opponent over the next three-plus minutes, as both Corban and Concordia held leads until the host Cavaliers had a slim two-point advantage (69-67) with under a minute left in the second half. As the clock continued to move closer and closer towards all zeros, Carter brought new life back into the Warriors' squad when he tied the game for the 11th time via a lay-in with four seconds left. With time still left on the clock, a quick-paced Concordia offense threw a long pass down court that resulted in a foul allowing the host Cavaliers one final shot at picking up their third straight win over the visiting Warriors at the free throw line. Fortunately for Corban, Concordia's shooter could not knock down the front end of the 1-and-1 opportunity with the missing free throw falling into the awaiting arms of Carter. A last-second shot from long distance by Carter could not find the net forcing Corban into overtime for the second straight night.

The extra period was all Corban over the opening four minutes, as the visiting Warriors pushed their lead to as much as four points (75-71) thanks to a lay-in by sophomore Jacob Kopra (Gresham, Ore.) with 2:47 to go. Concordia would battle back to take a one-point lead (76-75) with just over a minute left thanks to a Drew Preuniger three-pointer. A lay-in by Carter followed by a Dunn jumper handed the host Cavaliers another one-point lead (78-77) with 39 ticks showing on the clock. Relying on the offensive ability of his first-year Warrior, ninth-year head coach Justin Sherwood put the ball in the hands of Carter for one final shot and the freshman phenom did not disappoint knocking down the eventual game-winning jumper with 28 seconds left giving Corban a slim one-point lead (79-78). Corban's defense would hold up over the final seconds, as Concordia missed a desperation three-pointer that found the awaiting hands of Carter giving the Warriors the hard-fought win.

Concordia had four players in double figures led by West's 20 points and a game-tying 10 rebounds, while Preuniger, Dunn, and Adam Herman added 17, 14, and 13 points respectively. After a career-high 30 points last night against Northwest Christian, Gage Aker was held to seven points, seven rebounds, and a game-high six assists in the Cavaliers' hard-fought loss.

As a team, Corban combined to shoot 33-for-65 (50.8%) from the field to go along with a 6-for-18 (33.3%) showing from beyond the three-point line and a 7-for-10 (70.0%) performance at the free throw line. On the other hand, Concordia was a combined 31-for-58 (53.4%) from the field, 8-for-23 (34.8%) from long distance, and 8-for-12 (66.7%) at the charity stripe.

With tonight's win, Corban improves to 12-7 overall and 2-5 in Cascade Collegiate Conference games. Meanwhile, Concordia falls to 6-11 overall and 1-6 in league contests. The Warriors will return to the court on Friday, January 14th, against The College of Idaho beginning at 5:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.