SALEM, Ore. – Senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) made the big plays when the Corban University men's basketball team needed them most, and the Warriors topped (RV) Northwest Christian University, 67-56, on Senior Night in front 1,034 fans at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center. With the win, the Warriors finish the 2015 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season in sixth place and will travel to the No. 3 seed, Warner Pacific College, on Wednesday evening for a CCC Tournament Quarterfinal contest.
The Warriors opened the game on a 5-2 run following a three-pointer by sophomore guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) and a jumper by freshman guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.). Sophomore guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) came off the bench for the Warriors shortly after and scored five-consecutive points to give Corban a 16-11 lead, and at the 11:04 mark, junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) made a layup to put the Warriors up by seven points.
The Beacons eventually regained the lead (30-29) late in the half after a jumper by senior guard Travis Pacos, and on the Beacons' next possession, junior forward Austin Kuemper made a tough scoop shot to extend the lead to three. But the Warriors continued to have an answer, as Herzberg rattled in a three, and then Ward scored on a reverse layup to retake the advantage, 34-32.
In the winding moments of the first frame, Monterossi drilled a 16-footer, and after two NCU free throws, the Warriors went into the locker room with a 36-34 lead.
The Navy and Gold shot a blistering 54.2% (13-for-24) from the field in the first half compared to 45.8% (11-for-24) by the Beacons. Corban went 6-for-13 (46.2%) from downtown, while NCU fired up a 3-for-7 (42.9%) effort.
Corban posted a balanced first half attack, as Carter led the Warriors with seven points on 2-for-6 shooting, while Herzberg, Ward, and Fox scored six points apiece. Meanwhile, junior forward Omar Richards scored five of his seven points at the charity stripe to lead the Beacons.
On the Warriors' first possession of the second stanza, Herzberg drilled a pull-up jumper from downtown after his defender gambled for the steal. After a Beacon free throw, Carter found Herzberg all alone in the corner for the three-pointer to give Corban a 42-35 lead.
Monterossi connected on a fade-away jumper to grant the Warriors a 44-35 advantage, and then not long afterwards, Ward found Herzberg for the fast-break layup to push Corban's lead to double-figures (46-35), forcing the Beacons to use a timeout.
The Beacons cut the Navy and Gold's lead to eight on three separate occasions in the next several minutes, but Corban continued to have an answer. With a 52-44 lead, Carter tipped out an offensive rebound to Fox, and then Monterossi found Carter for the 22-footer to push the Warriors' lead to 11 with the clock winding down in regulation.
However, over the next few minutes, NCU rattled in 10 unanswered points, as junior guard Javonte Byrd converted a three-point play, and then Pacos swooshed a 19-footer to cut Corban's advantage to one (55-54). But on the ensuing possession, Roth rattled home a three-pointer to push the Navy and Gold ahead by four.
With a 60-56 lead and the shot clock winding down, Carter tipped in his own miss to stretch Corban's lead to six. After a free throw by Roth, Carter found himself in the same situation, but this time he drained a 25-footer at the buzzer of the shot clock, sending the crowd and Warrior bench into elation.
Following the win, Carter talked about the exciting victory on Senior Nigh in a post-game interview:
"The team played with incredible heart and effort and we were rewarded with a great win," said head coach Steve Masten. "Jordan Carter had a memorable last regular-season game at Corban and made all the key plays down the stretch including a big three-pointer."
Carter finished with a game-high 17 points, including a trio of three-pointers and that clutch shot late that virtually sealed the contest for the Warriors. On top of his scoring output on Senior Night, he also nabbed nine boards and dished out two assists. Herzberg finished the evening with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while both Ward and Roth finished in double-digits as well, scoring 10 and 12 points, respectively.
As a team, Corban shot 55.6% from the field and 11-of-21 from downtown. The Beacons shot just 37.5% from the floor and 22.2% from beyond the arc.
For the NCU, Omar Richards led the way with nine points, while a trio of Beacons scored eight points on the evening. No one on NCU scored in double-digits.
Corban (15-12, 8-10 CCC) returns to the hardwood on Wednesday evening when it travels to Warner Pacific College (24-6, 14-4 CCC) for a showdown in a CCC Tournament Quarterfinal contest. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Portland.
