ASHLAND, Ore. - It took a full 40 minutes and a pair of overtime periods, but the Corban University men's basketball team eventually fell just short to No. 12 Southern Oregon, 70-65, in one of the most dramatic Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) finishes this season. It was the Warriors first double-overtime contest since Feb. 5, 2011. 

Junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) directed Corban with 19 points and nine rebounds on 8-for-12 shooting, while senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) added 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists for the Navy and Gold. 

After the Raiders jumped to an early 12-7 lead, the Warriors (11-10, 4-8 CCC) responded with back-to-back buckets, as Ward scored a layup and Carter drilled a three-pointer to tie the game. After a free throw by Ward brought Corban to within one (16-15) at the 9:22 mark, Southern Oregon made its next five shots in the midst of an 11-0 run to take a 27-15 advantage with 5:58 left in the first stanza. 

With the Navy and Gold down 10 (30-20) with under four minutes to go in the first half, freshman guard Kade Crossland (Buhl, Idaho) came off the bench to drill a pair of three's for the Warriors, but Corban couldn't stop junior forward Jordan West, as he scored four of his 15 first-half points in a span of 37 seconds to give Southern Oregon a 34-26 halftime lead. 

Southern Oregon (19-4, 9-3 CCC) shot a blistering 60.0% (15-for-25) from the field in the first half, while Corban tossed in a 37.0% (10-for-27) clip. The Warriors edged the Raiders on the glass (14-13), and the Navy and Gold went 5-for-13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc. Ward played every minute of the first frame and registered seven points and four rebounds for Corban, while West did his damage on a 7-for-9 effort from the field for Southern Oregon. 

After Carter's three-pointer inched Corban to within two (37-35) at the 16:41 mark of the second frame, neither team managed to score for almost five minutes before Ward finally broke the drought with a jumper to tie the game. 

The Raiders maintained the advantage until Carter's jumper gave the Warriors their first lead (45-44) of the contest with just 7:44 left in regulation. After both Ward and sophomore forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) converted a pair of free throws to stretch Corban's lead to five (49-44), Southern Oregon stormed from behind to tie the game at 51 apiece following a layup by freshman guard Ben DeSaulnier with 2:47 left on the clock. 

Oddly enough, two of the top three shooting teams in the CCC couldn't convert a bucket for the remainder of the second half. Carter missed the go-ahead layup with 29 seconds left, and after Southern Oregon regained possession, the Raiders failed to get a shot off. 

Senior forward Eric Thompson, the third-best scorer in the CCC, registered the first three points of the extra period to give the Raiders a 54-51 lead at the 3:04 mark. Corban fired back with consecutive baskets, as Ward's layup put the Warriors up one (55-54) with 2:37 left. 

With Corban clinging to a one-point lead, 59-58, Thompson drilled a three-pointer for Southern Oregon to put the Raiders ahead by two (61-59) with just 26 seconds remaining. After Carter missed a pair of three trows with two seconds left, sophomore guard Taylor Fox (Astoria, Ore.) grabbed the rebound and scored at the buzzer to send the game into a second overtime. 

Once again, Southern Oregon struck first in the overtime period, as West connected on a three-pointer to give the Raiders a 64-61 lead at the 3:39 mark. After Carter's jumper brought the Warriors to within one (64-63) with 3:08 left, Southern Oregon converted 4-of-6 free throws to take a five-point lead with just under two minutes remaining the in second extra frame. Freshman guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) scored a layup to cut the Raiders' lead to three (68-65), but a pair of free throws by West wrapped up a 70-65 victory for Southern Oregon and put any hopes of an upset at rest. 

"We played an incredible game at the defensive end," stated head coach Steve Masten. "We held them to 29 points below their season average in regulation."

Crowe finished the night 11 points and eight rebounds for Corban, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Monterossi added eight points and five assists, while Crossland chipped in six points for the Warriors. 

Although he did most of his damage in the first half, West notched a double-double with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for Southern Oregon. Senior guard Tim Weber tallied 16 points and eight assists, while DeSaulnier came off the bench to chip in 11 points for the Raiders. 

As a team, Corban shot 41.7% (25-for-60) from the field, while Southern Oregon launched a 48.1% (26-for-54) clip. Neither team shot particularly well from the charity stripe, as the Warriors went 9-for-18 (50.0%) compared to a 10-for-15 (66.7%) effort by the Raiders. The Navy and Gold fell to 5-5 in road contests, while the Raiders improved to 9-0 at home this season. 

"Unfortunately, we didn't hit key baskets when we needed them," commented Masten. "I am extremely proud of our effort and our performance tonight."

Corban will look to bounce back tomorrow night against Oregon Tech in Klamath Falls, Ore. at 7:30 p.m.