LA GRANDE, Ore. – Corban University men's basketball's Chris Martin nailed seven second-half three-pointers and scored 33 points on Friday night, but it was not enough as the Warriors fell to No. 16 Eastern Oregon University on the road, 118-107. For Corban, the 33 points from Martin was the highest scoring output by any Warrior player in a single game all year long.
"We struggled to defend all night," said Corban head coach Austin Johnson. "Eastern is a great offensive team and we didn't do anything to slow them down. We will need to be much better against College of Idaho tomorrow who was picked to win our league."
A slow start in the first half put the Warriors in a tough spot, trailing by double-digits early on against the Mountaineers (9-3, 3-0 CCC). EOU shot lights out in the first 20 minutes, shooting 59.46% from the floor while nailing 11 three-pointers en route to taking a 65-45 lead into the break.
In the second half, Corban came out firing, immediately hitting a few threes while also getting inside for a couple of easy buckets to cut into the large deficit. Jake Love, Caleb Herzberg, Andrew Evans, and Martin all got in on the long-range action, hitting shots from deep to pull Corban to within six points with 6:58 remaining in regulation.
Down the stretch, Martin found himself in the zone, draining three-pointer after three-pointer, keeping Corban within striking distance, but EOU ultimately hit a couple of big three-pointers and made the necessary free-throw shots, sealing the 11-point Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) victory.
Martin's big 33-point performance included a 7-for-13 effort from deep and a 9-for-19 shooting mark overall. Additionally, he got to the line 11 times, making eight from the charity stripe. Another player who was efficient for the Warriors was Joel Johnson, as he went 10-for-10 from the floor with 21 points. Moreover, Love and Evans also scored in double-digits with 14 and 16 points, respectively.
As a team, Corban made a season-high 18 long-range shots, and overall, the Warriors made 51.4% of their shots from the field.
For EOU, the team shot 54.4% overall and Bryan McGriff led the way with 30 points, while Kentrell Washington scored 21 points and Blake O'Donnell tallied 18 points.
Corban (8-5, 1-2 CCC) returns to the hardwood tomorrow night when it takes on the College of Idaho. Tipoff in Caldwell is set for 6:30 p.m. PST.
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