CALDWELL, Idaho - The Corban University men's basketball team heaved a last-second 50-foot desperation shot on Friday night, but the shot did not fall, resulting in a tough 70-68 loss to the No. 25-ranked College of Idaho Yotes on the road. The loss leaves Corban with a series split on the year, with both teams registering wins on their home floors.
"I was extremely proud of the effort of the guys tonight," said Corban head coach Steve Masten. "We played short-handed and we had several guys step up and contribute. I thought our defense was outstanding for the most part. We gave ourselves a chance to win it and came up just short."
Down by one with 13.5 seconds left, Corban had the ball and drove to the hoop in an attempt at the game-winning basket, but an offensive foul was called, resulting in a turnover and C of I free throws. The Warriors did have the one final look at the hoop from beyond midcourt, but to no avail, as Corban came up just short of pulling off what would have been an unlikely win on the road.
Despite missing multiple starters due to injury, Corban got big efforts from other players stepping up, including freshman Joel Johnson (Tigard, Ore.) totaling 13 points and eight boards on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor while coming off the bench. In addition, junior Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) made a number of big long-range shots on the night, totaling 11 points for the Warriors.
Senior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) put together another solid performance with 18 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Caleb Dozier was efficient from the field on 6-for-11 shooting with 12 points and a team-high nine boards.
As a team, Corban shot 46.8% from the field but just 27.8% from downtown. College of Idaho actually shot worse overall from the floor at a 37.7% clip, but did hit nine three-pointers, helping the Yotes to the win.
Both Joey Nebeker and Aitor Zubizarreta scored 21 points for C of I in the win.
Corban (11-8, 5-6 CCC) returns to the court tomorrow when it takes on Eastern Oregon University on the road. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
