SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University men's basketball team found difficulty scoring on key possessions down the stretch, ultimately proving to be costly in a 70-59 loss to the Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers on Saturday night. For the Warriors, it marks their sixth-consecutive loss in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action.
Overall in a very evenly-played contest, a couple of key statistical categories that did not end up on the right end for the Warriors were points-off-turnovers and points-in-the-paint. EOU won the points-off-turnovers battle, 14-4, and the points-in-the-paint battle, 22-14. Both proved pivotal in the determination of Saturday's night's victor.
Just like in Friday's game, senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) made a three-pointer early on for the Warriors, making it 926 straight games now with a three-pointer made for Corban. EOU answered immediately with a trio of threes, however, and nabbed a 14-8 lead early on.
Sophomore guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) came off the bench for the Warriors and drilled a shot from deep, bringing Corban back to within three, and freshman guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) converted on a layup opportunity, making it a one-point game.
The two sides traded points throughout the remainder of the half, but trailing by six points with just over two minutes to play, sophomore guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) got hot from behind the arc, sinking back-to-back long-range efforts, tying the game.
Tied at the intermission, Corban shot just 38.1% during the first 20 minutes, while EOU shot 48.0% from the field. Both teams sank five three-pointers during the first half as well, while Corban made 12-of-15 free throws compared to just a 4-for-6 effort from the Mountaineers.
Herzberg came out of the halftime break for Corban and drained another shot from distance for the Warriors. Carter then drilled a jumper and Roth followed it up with a layup of his own, giving the Navy and Gold a seven-point advantage.
EOU (11-8, 3-6 CCC) answered with a quick three-pointer from Bryan McGriff, but Carter came down the floor and pulled up for a three of his own, keeping Corban's lead at seven points. Again though, Eastern Oregon responded with an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead midway through the second stanza.
Herzberg remained hot from the floor, converting from long range again for the Warriors, and junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) added to that with a good take to the rack, giving the Warriors a five-point edge with eight minutes remaining.
From that point on, Eastern Oregon used stifling defense and quality offense to close the game on a 23-7 run, winning by 11 points in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
As a team, Corban shot just 37.2% from the field, while the Mountaineers shot 47.1% from the floor overall. The Mountaineers also went 11-of-26 from downtown, while Corban shot 8-of-15 from behind the three-point arc.
Individually, Carter finished the game with 18 points and four boards, while Herzberg tallied 12 points for the Warriors. In addition, Roth racked up 13 points, six boards, and two assists on the evening. For the Mountaineers, it was Case Rada who scored a game-high 21 points, while Bryan McGriff added 16 for the game.
Corban (9-9, 2-7 CCC) returns to action next week when it hosts Northwest University on Friday evening. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
