ASHLAND, Ore. - The Corban University men's basketball team held leads with under five seconds left in regulation and in overtime on Saturday night on the road at Southern Oregon University, but clutch three-point shots for the 13th-ranked Raiders proved to be the difference in the 86-84 overtime triumph for SOU in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) opener.
Photos
"It was a great game between two really good teams," said head coach Steve Masten. "They hit some incredible shots down the stretch in regulation and in overtime. I'm proud of our effort. We'll need another great effort tomorrow at Oregon Tech."
The Warriors hadn't defeated Southern Oregon since the 2011-12 season, but that streak looked to be coming to a halt on Saturday night as the Warriors led by six points with 30 seconds left on the clock. The Raiders nailed a three-pointer with 20 seconds left, cutting Corban's lead to just three, and then following a turnover on the inbound pass by the Warriors, Joel Spear sank the game-tying three-pointer with 0.2 seconds left on the clock for SOU, sending the contest to overtime.
In the extra stanza, Corban looked poised to win it again, up by one with just 14 seconds on the clock, but on the Raiders' final offensive possession, Jordan West drained the game-winning three-pointer with three seconds remaining, leaving Corban with one last chance. Warrior junior guard Taylor Fox (Astoria, Ore.) got a last-second heave up from the corner, but his shot rimmed out, making it 10-straight losses for Corban down in Ashland.
For the Warriors, it is their second-straight time they've gone to overtime on the road against SOU, coming up short in last year's bout as well in double overtime by five points.
In what was a battle throughout, the Navy and Gold really looked ready for its first win in 10 tries against SOU (8-2, 1-0 CCC) on the road, and junior guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) hit a big three-pointer with 5:58 left in regulation to push Corban in front by five, and then a dunk by freshman forward Joel Johnson (Tigard, Ore.) put Corban in front by seven points with just over five minutes left.
Not long after, a long-range effort from sophomore guard Caleb Dozier (Beaverton, Ore.) stretched Corban's lead to eight points, but the Raiders continued to make big shots down the stretch, keeping themselves in the game, ultimately leading to the game-tying and game-winning three-pointers.
Corban (4-3, 1-0 CCC) was very efficient from the field on the night, making 55.6% of its shots while going 8-of-18 from downtown. The Warriors did turn the ball over 14 times, however, with a couple of those turnovers coming at inopportune times, resulting in the tough two-point defeat.
Individually, sophomore guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) scored 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting while dishing out six assists. As a team, the Warriors dished out 24 assists, tying their season high as a team. Junior guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) scored 16 points on a 7-of-9 effort from the field, while senior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) chipped in 14 points, six assists. and nine rebounds. Dozier finished the night with 13 points, nine boards and six assists.
The Warriors will look to bounce back immediately when they take on No. 7-ranked Oregon Tech tomorrow in Klamath Falls. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
