BOX SCORE

SALEM, Ore. – Junior Jordan Carter scored 26 off the bench and senior Marcus Butler poured in a career-high 22 points, as Corban's men's basketball team defeated cross town rival Willamette, 86-66, Friday inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center to advance to the championship game of the Capital City Classic.

With tonight's result, Corban improves to 2-2 and Willamette drops to 1-2 on the season.

The aforementioned duo of Carter and Butler combined to shoot 18-for-21 from the field, as senior Jacob Kopra also added 12 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds. On the boards, Kopra was aided by Butler with a team-high tying six rebounds to go along with a game-high five assists by freshman Andrew Evans.

After both teams scored eight points over the opening five-plus minutes, Corban used a quick 5-0 run in a span of 90 seconds to take a five-point lead (13-8) on a jumper by senior Dustin Moore with 13:20 on the clock. The host Warriors would extend their lead ot six points (18-12) on a three-pointer by Moore before Willamette pulled within a single point (20-19) with a 7-2 run that was capped by a Noah Ripley jumper in the paint with 8:16 remaining. Another Corban run would give the Warriors an eight-point lead (29-21), as a 9-2 run ended on with a three-pointer by Carter with 6:32 on the clock. Over the final six-plus minutes, Corban would push its lead to double digits (45-35) on a free throw by Butler before the Warriors closed out the half leading by 12 points (47-35) thanks to a last-second lay-in by Butler.

The second half would begin with Corban pushing its lead to a game-high 26 points (70-44) on a jumper by freshman Cyrus Ward with just under 11 minutes left in the game. The host Warriors would continue to hold at least a 19-point lead for the remainder of the game, as senior Geoffrey Martin scored Corban's final points on a lay-in with 76 seconds left. Willamette would score the game's final four points, as Corban settled for the 20-point win (86-66).

Willamette was led in scoring by Sean Dart and Terrell Malley with 12 points each, while Elliott Babcock-Krenk added eight points for the Bearcats. Dart would also pull down a game-high seven rebounds for Willamette, while a trio of Bearcats – Avery Manu, Kyle McNally, and Alex Hansen – handed out a team-high two assists each.

As a team, Corban combined to shoot 31-for-54 (57.4%) from the field that included a 9-for-24 (37.5%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a 15-for-22 (68.2%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Willamette was a combined 24-for-59 (40.7%) from the field, 3-for-13 (23.1%) from long distance, and 15-for-25 (60.0%) at the charity stripe.

Corban will return to action tomorrow – Saturday, November 24th – against NCAA Division II member Western Oregon in the Capital City Classic championship game beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem.