PORTLAND, Ore. - The Corban University men's basketball season came to an end on Wednesday night, as the Warriors fell to the No. 15 Warner Pacific Knights on the road in a Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament quarterfinal, 79-49.
Warner Pacific got on the board first, but Corban sophomore guard Taylor Fox (Astoria, Ore.) nailed a pair of three-pointers to give Corban an early lead, 8-7. Senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) launched a shot from way downtown not long after, keeping the game tight. Sophomore forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) got in on the three-point shooting routine the next time down the floor, nailing a long-range effort of his own to cut the Knight lead to just one point.
With the score at 21-20, Warner Pacific went on a 14-0 run over the next several minutes to take a commanding lead, and eventually led at the break, 38-22.
In the second stanza, junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and Crowe got Corban's comeback effort going early, as Ward sank a jumper and Crowe hit another shot from deep, cutting the deficit to just 13 points.
Over the next several minutes, however, the Knights showed why they clinched a share of the CCC regular-season title this past weekend, going on an 11-2 run to retake full control of the contest. From that point on, Warner Pacific cruised to the 30-point victory.
As a team, the Warriors shot just 35.4% from the floor and 36.0% from beyond the arc. Ward led the way with 10 points for Corban, shooting 5-for-9 from the field to go along with eight boards. Carter finished his final game with the Warriors with nine points, while Crowe tallied a team-best 10 rebounds and six points. In addition, Fox registered a nine-point performance.
"We ran into a buzz saw tonight," said head coach Steve Masten. "They played like the seniors they are. We struggled shooting the ball and getting into a flow offensively. I'm proud of the season we've had. We had tremendous improvement over last season and next year promises to be even better."
For the Knights, Doug Thomas led the way with 17 points, while Ryan Parks tallied 16. As a team, Warner Pacific shot 54.5% from the field and 60.9% from downtown, nailing a total of 14 three-pointers.
Corban finishes its season with a 15-13 overall record, while Warner Pacific (25-6) continues its season when it hosts Southern Oregon University on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
