KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Corban University men's basketball team fell in heartbreaking fashion on Friday night in Ashland, but the Warriors were determined to not let history repeat itself on Saturday evening as Corban defeated Oregon Tech on the road, 78-59. The win moves the Navy and Gold up into seventh place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings, one win ahead of Eastern Oregon University and two wins ahead of Northwest University in the battle for the final two spots in the CCC Tournament.
With the win, Corban (12-10, 5-8 CCC) now trails Oregon Tech (13-10, 6-7 CCC) by just one game in the CCC standings. The two teams split the regular season series with one game apiece.
Senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) wasted no time extending Corban's collegiate-best streak with a three-pointer made to 930-straight games, as on the Warriors' first possession, he nailed a shot from distance. Sophomore guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) matched Carter's three-pointer with a shot from long range himself a minute later, but Carter one-upped him, draining two more three-pointers early on to give Corban a 12-10 lead. 'Three-Point U' did not disappoint on the night, as not only did the Warriors make three-point shots early, but they finished with nine made shots from downtown on the evening.
Junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and sophomore guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) both got in on the act for the Warriors as well, hitting jump shots to eventually tie the game at 16-16. From that point forward, the Warriors locked down defensively and continued to shoot the ball efficiently on the offensive end of the floor.
Closing out the first stanza strong, Carter and sophomore guard Taylor Fox (Astoria, Wash.) hit back-to-back three-pointers, and then sophomore forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) nailed two of his own from deep, giving Corban a 41-33 lead at the break.
The second stanza turned into more of the same for the Warriors, as Corban executed well on the offensive end and continued to slow down the Owls' players on the other end, ultimately leading to the 19-point road triumph.
As a team, Corban shot 56.5% from the field and 60.0% from beyond the arc. The Warriors were also solid at the free-throw line, shooting 17-of-21 from the charity stripe. Oregon Tech shot just 33.3% overall and 34.4% from downtown, ultimately leading to their demise.
"We played great defense for the entire game, but unlike last night, we shot the ball really well from the field and the free-throw line," said head coach Steve Masten. "What is really impressive is that we played a double-overtime thriller last night and still had the toughness to come out and play at a high level tonight."
Individually, Carter led the way for the Warriors with 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting and a 4-for-6 effort from downtown. Ward was also very efficient for Corban, going 8-for-14 from the floor for 19 points to go along with nine boards. Freshman guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) also finished in double figures for the Navy and Gold, scoring 10 points in the win.
The Warriors return to Salem and play host to Concordia University and Warner Pacific College next weekend. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night.
