OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Corban University men's basketball dropped a hard-fought battle against The Evergreen State College on Friday evening, losing 93-90 to the Geoducks on the road. For the Warriors, it marks the third Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) loss by three points or less during the 2015-16 campaign.
In the first half, junior guard Taylor Fox (Astoria, Ore.) was red hot from the field, coming off the bench midway through the first 20 minutes and nailing five-consecutive shots from beyond the arc to give the Warriors a 47-39 lead going into the halftime intermission.
In the second half, however, the Geoducks came out on fire and nabbed the lead from the Warriors early on. Corban did hang tough with Evergreen and withstood the big run, and the contest ultimately came down to some big plays during the final few minutes of the game.
Corban took the lead with one minute remaining in regulation, but Evergreen responded with a quick layup to retake the advantage by one point. Ultimately, Corban missed on its next couple of shots and had to play the foul game, leaving Corban with a last-second three-point shot that it did not convert, ending the game in the three-point loss.
Key missed free-throws by Corban down the stretch proved vital, along with untimely turnovers, resulting in Evergreen coming away as the victors.
In the second half, Evergreen outscored Corban, 54-43, and the Geoducks shot 65.63% during the final 20 minutes. Corban actually shot fairly well in the second stanza also, going 57.58% from the floor, but it was not enough, as a 13-for-20 effort from the charity stripe doomed the Navy and Gold.
Fox finished with 18 points, nailing six three-pointers on the evening, tying his career high for points. Sophomore guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) totaled 28 points for Corban to lead all scorers, shooting 10-of-16 from the field. Additionally, senior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) chipped in 14 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) totaled 10 points on the night.
Overall, Corban shot 58.6% from the field and 45.0% from downtown. The largest lead of the game for the Warriors came in the first half when they led by 14 points.
For Evergreen, five different players scored in double figures, and it was Jarrick Mitchell who notched a team-best 21 points, going 6-of-6 from behind the arc and 7-of-8 overall.
Corban (9-6, 3-4 CCC) returns to the hardwood and will look to earn a road-trip split tomorrow night in Kirkland at Northwest University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
