SALEM, Ore. – In the final game of the 2015 Corban Classic, the Corban University men's basketball team came up against a red-hot Lewis-Clark State College team on Sunday afternoon in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, losing against the No. 13-ranked team in the NAIA Division I, 100-65.
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Lewis-Clark State began the game on fire, draining four long-range efforts en route to taking a 19-4 lead after six minutes.
Corban freshman forward Joel Johnson (Tigard, Ore.) came off the bench for the Warriors are provided a bit of a spark, scoring on consecutive possessions to give the Corban team some life. Senior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and junior guard Taylor Fox (Astoria, Ore.) added buckets for Corban midway through the first stanza, but seemingly every time Corban started to get close, the L-C State Warriors made a three-pointer or inside shot, maintaining a steady 15-point advantage.
At the half, Corban trailed 43-28, with L-C State hitting eight three-pointers during the first 20 minutes to Corban's two.
Corban began the second stanza strong, with junior guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) scoring five-straight points. A few minutes later, Roth added a nifty layup at the rack on the fast break and converted the three-point play after being fouled, bringing Corban to within 11 points.
That would be as close as the Navy and Gold would get, however, as the L-C State Warriors closed the game out strong, outscoring Corban 49-25 over the final 15 minutes of the contest in the 35-point win.
For Corban, sophomore guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) led the way on an efficient shooting performance with 17 points (7-for-14) along with three boards and two assists. Ward added 14 points and a team-best eight boards, while Roth totaled 12 points.
"We ran into a buzz saw tonight," said Corban head coach Steve Masten. "They played great and we didn't. We had a difficult time keeping their guards out of the lane which led to wide open threes. This loss will provide an opportunity for us to work on some things and improve for our next game."
As a team, Corban shot 44.6% from the field, while L-C State (7-0) shot 59.1% overall and 51.7% from downtown, making 15 three-pointers.
Corban (3-2) takes a break from action during the Thanksgiving time frame, but then gets back to the hardwood in another non-conference contest against cross-town rival, Willamette University. Tipoff on Saturday, November 28 is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be played at Willamette.
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