EUGENE, Ore. – The Corban University men's basketball team began its 2014-15 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) campaign on Friday evening against Northwest Christian University, and on the road, the Warriors struggled to get into an offensive rhythm all evening long, falling to the Beacons, 79-56.  The loss is Corban's second-straight CCC-opening loss, with both coming against the Beacons in consecutive seasons.

Sophomore forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) nailed his first shot of the contest, sinking a jumper from downtown to give the Warriors the early 3-2 advantage.  NCU then used a 10-0 run to nab a 12-3 lead after just five minutes.

Sophomore guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) came off the bench for the Warriors and nailed a three-pointer, however, ending the Beacons early run.

Northwest Christian's Devyn Iglehart was hot from downtown early, sinking a trio of long-range efforts to keep the Beacons in front.  

Corban freshman guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) came up with a big play for Corban at the 8:38 mark in the first half, nabbing a steal and finishing at the rim with an and-one layup, converting on the three-point opportunity.

Sophomore guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) drained a shot from deep for Corban, and Monterossi then followed that up with a jumper of his own, but with just over three minutes remaining in the first stanza, the Warriors trailed 37-22.  After a Beacon jumper, senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) hit his shot from deep, keeping the game within reach with just over a minute remaining in the half.

At the halftime intermission, Northwest Christian led Corban 39-29.  The Warriors shot 47.4% from the field, but the Beacons shot at a 61.5% clip during the first 20 minutes, including nailing seven three-pointers.  For the season, the Beacons ranked 25th in the NAIA in three-point shooting coming into Friday's contest, while Corban came into the game ranked first in the CCC in field-goal percentage. 

In the second half, the Warriors came out strong and scored 12 points early on, but the Beacons remained hot from the field as well while crashing the glass, extending their advantage to 11 points at the 11:55 mark.

Monterossi continued to show the type of impact he can have on a game, scoring on an acrobatic layup at the rim, cutting the deficit to just nine.  Immediately, however, Northwest Christian answered with a shot from downtown.  The Beacons then nailed two more three-pointers and scored a layup, extending their lead to 20 points at 63-43 with 8:43 remaining.

Struggling to get the offense into motion during the second stanza, the Warriors looked to Carter to get them back in the game, as he scored on a fast-break layup to cut into the large deficit.  Junior forward Jeremiah Harris (Portland, Ore.) followed that up with an offensive rebound and a put-back layup on the next possession down the floor, making it a 16-point game.

Junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) converted on a layup opportunity for Corban not long after, and it was a 14-point game with just under five minutes left.  The Warriors would get as close as 12 points, but the Beacons closed out the contest after that, finishing with a 79-56 victory over the Warriors.

Monterossi led the way for the Navy and Gold with 13 points and six assists, while Carter notched 12 points and three assists.  Additionally, Ward and Roth both chipped in seven points apiece.

Corban (5-3) returns to action next Sunday when it travels to Vallejo, Calif., for a non-conference contest with Cal State University – Maritime.  Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.