BOX SCORE

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Junior Jordan Carter and freshman Caleb Herzberg combined to score 22 points, as Corban's men's basketball team dropped its opening game at the Capital City Classic against cross town rival Willamette, 78-54, Friday inside the New PE Building on the campus of Western Oregon University.

Corban (3-4) got a combined 7-of-19 on field goals from Carter and Herzberg, as each player scored 11 points to lead the Warriors' offense. Freshman Aaron Withe added seven points, while three Corban players – senior Josiah Sebens, junior Tyler Edwards, and freshman Toby Roth – scored five points each. Sophomore Cyrus Ward pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, while fellow sophomore Andrew Evans handed out a team-high four assists in each player's second game of the season.

Willamette (1-4) was led offensively by Alex Brown with a game-high 14 points, while three other Bearcats – Brandon Luedtke, Bridger Harlington, and Avery Manu – also scored in double figures with 13, 13, and 10 points, respectively. Luedtke pulled down a game-high eight rebounds for Willamette, while Talanoa Smith handed out a game-high six assists for the victorious Bearcats.

After two free throws by Carter at the 19-minute mark, Willamette used a 20-8 run over a span of 10-plus minutes to pull ahead by 10 points (20-10) on a jumper by Luedtke with 8:53 on the clock. Over the next two minutes, Willamette would increase its lead to 13 points (25-12) with a 5-2 run that concluded on an old-fashion three-point play by Harlington with 6:36 left. A free throw by Kyle McNally with 3:50 on the clock would give the Bearcats another 13-point cushion (30-17) before Corban closed the first half on a 14-5 run to cut Willamette's lead to four points (35-31) at halftime following a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Herzberg.

The second half would begin with Willamette quickly increasing its lead back to double digits (43-33) on a three-point play by Manu with 17:49 left in the game. Corban would pull within eight points (49-41) on a jumper by Roth before the Bearcats used a 7-0 run over a span of three minutes to pull ahead by 15 points (56-41) with 13:12 on the clock. Five minutes later, Willamette increased its lead to 20 points (66-46) on a three-pointer by Alex Brown before Corban cut the deficit to 19 points (72-53) on a lay-in by Carter with 2:45 left. Unfortunately that would be as close as the Warriors would get, as Willamette closed the game on a 6-1 run for the final difference of 24 points (78-54).

As a team, Corban combined to shoot 19-for-54 (35.2%) from the field that included a 7-of-25 (28.0%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a 9-of-16 (56.3%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Willamette was a combined 28-for-51 (54.9%) that included a scorching 17-of-24 (70.8%) in the second half. The Bearcats also hit 8-of-16 (50.0%) from beyond the arc and 14-of-23 (60.9%) at the charity stripe.

Corban will return to the hardwood tomorrow – Saturday, November 30th – in an exhibition game against tournament-host Western Oregon beginning at 4:15 p.m. inside the New PE Building.