SALEM, Ore. – A deep last-second three-pointer from Northwest Christian University's Javonte Byrd sealed the 63-60 victory on Tuesday night over the Corban University men's basketball team, making it NCU's second near-buzzer beater on the night. For NCU, it is the team's second-straight game in which a three-pointer within the last two seconds of the contest won the game for the Beacons.
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"Even though we lost on a last-second, very difficult three-point shot, I was proud of our effort tonight," said Corban head men's basketball coach Steve Masten. "We fought back from 12 down and went up, which says a lot about the toughness of our team. We are going to keep improving as we continue with league play after Christmas."
After a very defensive first stanza, the Beacons took an eight-point lead into the break.
In similar fashion to the women's game earlier in the evening, NCU built up a large second-half lead, but Corban fought back, and it was sophomore guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) starting the comeback with a layup at the 14-minute mark to cut the deficit to just 10 points. Senior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) cut the deficit to single digits with a jumper in the paint, and then Warrior junior guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) drained a three-pointer not long after to bring Corban to within three points.
Another three-pointer from a hot-shooting Herzberg put Corban in front with less than nine minutes left, but NCU's Jay Mayernik responded with some big buckets inside down the stretch, proving to be the Beacon's go-to guy.
The Warriors turned to an unlikely hero, as it was junior guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) making key acrobatic layups down the stretch and then sank a step-back three-pointer with two minutes left to bring Corban to within two points.
Monterossi then tied the game with two clutch free throws, and eventually after a defensive stop, Corban had a chance to win the game, but the offensive possession faltered as the Warriors did not get a good look at the rim, giving the Beacons one last chance to win it.
That is when Byrd stepped up with four seconds remaining to make one of the most clutch shots of his NCU career, sinking a contested three-pointer with just over one second left in regulation, sealing the triumph over Corban.
Byrd finished with 10 points, while Omar Richards totaled a team-best 18 points for the Beacons. Mayernik finished with 15 points. As a team, NCU (10-4, 4-1 CCC) shot 42.6% from the field.
Corban (6-5, 2-3 CCC) shot 41.4% from the field, and it was Monterossi who led the way with 22 points, while Ward tallied 15 points and a team-best eight boards. With the 15 points on the evening, Ward became the 28th Corban University men's basketball player to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
The Warriors return to action on December 29 when they travel to Linfield College for a non-conference contest against the Wildcats. Tipoff in McMinnville is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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