CALDWELL, Idaho – The Corban University men's basketball team led by as many as 20 points on Saturday evening against the No. 24-ranked College of Idaho Yotes, but the Warriors went cold in the second half on the road, ultimately falling to the Yotes, 78-74.

"We really battled against a great team on the road," said Corban head coach Austin Johnson. "We need to continue to shore up some errors, but tonight was a positive example of who we can be even without key guys who are out with injuries. It is a lesson for our players to keep trusting and playing for each other every single day we step on the floor."

When Chris Martin nailed a step-back jumper with 5:06 left to play in the first half, all seemed good for the Warriors as things were firing on all cylinders all across the court. The Yotes closed to within 11 points in the final minute of the half, but Chris Martin then hit a deep three-pointer at the first-half buzzer to put Corban in front by 14 points at the halftime break.

In those first 20 minutes, the Navy and Gold shot 54.5% from the field as a team, including nailing five long-range efforts to maintain the first half advantage.

In the second stanza, the Yotes came out firing, catching Corban on the back foot early and cut into the Warriors' advantage right away. By the 11:48 mark after a three-pointer from Dominique Jordan, the Yotes nabbed the 56-55 advantage, but Martin provided the immediate answer for Corban, sinking a long-range effort of his own to regain the lead for the Warriors.

Corban held the advantage all the way from that point until the final few minutes with a 69-65 lead. The Yotes then closed the contest on a 13-5 run to earn the pivotal Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) victory over the Warriors, finishing off a four-point win in the final seconds.

Martin led Corban offensively with 16 points and six rebounds, while Joel Johnson was once again highly efficient from the field with 15 points on a 7-for-9 shooting effort. Mike Seng provided a nice spark off the bench for Corban, going 4-for-6 from the field with 11 points.

One of the killers for Corban in the second half was 13 turnovers in the final 20 minutes, and ultimately 19 turnovers for the game to just nine for C of I. Those turnovers proved costly, and in particular in the second half, as they led to a number of fast-break layups for the Yotes.

For C of I, Joey Nebeker led the way with 21 points, despite making only four field goals. His perfect 10-for-10 effort from the charity stripe helped the Yotes overcome the large deficit. In addition, Aziz Leeks totaled 15 points for C of I (10-4, 3-1 CCC).

Corban (8-6, 1-3 CCC) returns to the court on Tuesday when it takes on Northwest Christian University on the road. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.