BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Seniors
Dustin Moore and
Jacob Kopra combined to score 37 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field that included nine three-pointers, but it was not enough as Corban's men's basketball team fell to the NAIA's No. 13-ranked Knights of Warner Pacific, 80-68, Saturday inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
Moore and Kopra, who were playing their final home game of the regular season in front of the Warrior FAN-atics, scored 21 and 16 points, respectively, while freshman
Kent Foster also scored in double figures with 12 points off the bench. Senior
Marcus Butler tallied eight points and five rebounds, while junior
Josiah Sebens chipped in with six points and a team-high seven rebounds.
As a team, Corban (9-16, 5-11 CCC) combined to shoot 19-of-48 (39.6%) from the field that included a 12-for-24 (50.0%) showing in the second half. The Warriors were also 11-of-26 (42.3%) from beyond the three-point line that included a 7-for-13 (53.8%) clip in the second half. At the free throw line, Corban was a combined 19-of-25 (76.0%) knocking down 11-of-14 in the first half. On the other hand, Warner Pacific (22-6, 13-3 CCC) was a combined 31-of-64 (48.4%) from the field, 10-of-27 (37.0%) from long distance, and 8-of-9 (88.9%) at the charity stripe.
After watching Warner Pacific jump out to a 5-0 lead, Corban used a 14-9 run over a span of six-plus minutes to tie the game at 14-14 on a three-pointer by Moore with 10:15 on the clock. Over the next nine minutes, Warner Pacific would slowly extend its lead to 16 points (41-25) on a jumper in the paint by Zac Compton with 80 seconds left. Corban would settle for a 14-point deficit (42-39) at halftime, as the Warriors connected on only 29.2% (7-of-24) of their field goals in the opening twenty minutes.
The second half would be a different story for Corban, as the host Warriors watched Warner Pacific take a game-high 23-point lead (63-40) before mounting a comeback that saw the home team hit six three-pointers in the midst of a 24-6 run that made the score 69-64 in favor of the visiting Knights with 5:17 on the clock. In the course of Corban's improbable run, Warner Pacific's Doug Thomas was a one-man answer for the Knights hitting three straight shots from beyond the arc with the final one coming with exactly four minutes left to put WPC up by eight points (74-66). Thomas' final made field goal of the night would be the final nail in Corban's coffin, as the host Warriors could not get any closer than the eight-point margin before settling for a 12-point (80-68) defeat.
Thomas led all players with a game-high 30 points that included seven three-pointers for Warner Pacific, while Compton added 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Knights. WPC's Stephen Harris was held ten points below his season scoring average, but did register six points, six rebounds, and a game-high tying six assists along with Thomas.
Corban will return to the hardwood on Friday, February 15th, against the NAIA's No. 24-ranked Raiders of Southern Oregon beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. inside Bob Riehm Arena in Ashland.
