BOX SCORE
EUGENE, Ore. – After waiting twenty-four hours and moving the game's location sixty miles south due to icy conditions around Corban's campus, the teams' head coaches were able to settle the first-ever "Family Affair" that resulted in Corban's men's basketball team dropping its Cascade Collegiate Conference opener to rival Northwest Christian, 67-55, Saturday inside the Morse Event Center.
Corban (3-5, 0-1 CCC) led by second-year head coach
Steve Masten went toe-to-toe with conference rival Northwest Christian (6-3, 1-0 CCC) led by first-year head coach and Masten's son-in-law Luke Jackson, as the Beacons shot 64.0% (16-of-25) in the first half en route to building a 12-point cushion (39-27) at halftime that was enough after the two teams scored 28 points each over the final twenty minutes.
In what was billed as "A Family Affair" between head coaches, tonight's matchup also had a friendly wager on the line between the two wives. Debbie Masten and Lindsey Jackson put the family's famed ugly sweater up for grabs, as mom will now have to wear it at the next game between the two teams in mid-February.
The Warriors were led by sophomore
Cyrus Ward with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, while freshman
Caleb Herzberg added 15 points on 5-of-11 from the field that included a 3-for-8 performance from beyond the three-point line. Ward also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while freshman
Toby Roth handed out a team-high five assists for the Warriors.
Northwest Christian was led by Austin Kuemper with game-high totals of 27 points and 12 rebounds, as the first-year Beacon shot 12-of-20 from the field and grabbed four offensive boards to go with eight defensive rebounds. Kuemper was aided offensively by Travis Pacos and Spencer Coleman with 19 and 14 points, respectively, while Coleton Baker handed out a game-high eight assists for the Beacons.
The game began with Northwest Christian scoring the first seven points over a three-minute span before Corban used a 7-2 run over the next 120 seconds to pull within two points (9-7) on a three-pointer by freshman
Caleb Dozier with 15:03 on the clock. NCU would push its lead to 10 points (17-7) on a Kuemper lay-in with 12:53 left before Corban used a 13-7 run over a five-minute span to pull within four points (24-20) on a three-pointer by Herzberg with 7:30 remaining. The host Beacons would push their lead to 14 points (34-20) with a 10-0 run before NCU settled for a 39-27 lead at halftime.
Northwest Christian would open the second half on a 9-0 run to increase its lead to 21 points (48-27) on a jumper by Coleman with just under 17 minutes left. Over the next five minutes, Corban would use a 12-0 run to pull within nine points (48-39) on a lay-in by Ward with 11:45 on the clock. Two more free throws by Ward seven minutes later would pull the visiting Warriors within six points (57-51), but that would be as close as Corban would get after Northwest Christian closed the game on a 10-4 run for the final margin of 12 points (67-55).
As a team, Corban combined to shoot 22-of-55 (40.0%) from the field that included a 5-for-23 (21.7%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a 6-for-8 (75.0%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Northwest Christian was a combined 26-of-49 (53.1%) from the field, 5-of-14 (35.7%) from long distance, and 10-of-12 (83.3%) at the charity stripe.
Corban will return to the hardwood on Saturday, December 14th, when the Warriors host NCAA Division III member George Fox beginning at 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem.
