SALEM, Ore. – Thanks for 28 points from Corban University men's basketball senior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) on Senior Night in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, the Warriors upset No. 11-ranked Southern Oregon University on Saturday night, 90-74. The win gives Corban the split with SOU on the year after losing a heartbreaker on the road against the Raiders earlier in the year.
Click 'Play Button' on photo above for video highlights from the upset win.
With the seeds already locked into place prior to the start of the night, the win did not move Corban up in the standings or drop SOU. No. 2-seeded SOU will host No. 7-seeded Corban on Wednesday evening in Ashland in a rematch of tonight's tightly-contested battle.
"This was easily our best game this season from start to finish," said Corban men's basketball head coach Steve Masten. "Our defensive intensity was incredible. We were able to withstand every run they made. I am proud of the great team effort we gave tonight."
Prior to the start of the game, Corban honored its three seniors, and then started all three of them as well. Senior forward Alex Ferry (Salem, Ore.) scored the game's first points of the night, senior forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) dropped a long-range effort for Corban's second basket of the night, and then Ward made a layup to cap off the good start for the three seniors.
In what was a back-and-forth first half, the Warriors pushed in front late thanks to 80.0% shooting from downtown in the stanza, taking a 40-28 lead into the break.
SOU came out fired up to begin the second stanza, cutting into Corban's lead, but the Warriors responded and pushed back in front, maintaining a double-digit advantage midway through the second half. The Raiders, who were led by Ben DeSaulnier with 29 points continued to try and chip away at Corban's lead, but the Warriors continued to have the answer with big three-pointer after three-pointer, as well as some key shots late in the shot clock.
Ultimately down the stretch, Corban's lead was just too much for Southern Oregon to overcome, and the Raiders could not make up the deficit as Corban finished strong with key free throws in the final minutes.
Ward's 28 points and 11 boards led the way for the Warriors, while junior guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) drained a trio of three-pointers en route to 21 points scored. Additionally, Crowe totaled 10 points for Corban.
After the game, the three seniors talked about the big win on Senior Night:
In addition to DeSaulnier's game-high 29 points for SOU, Clay Sierra totaled 11 points and Joel Spear recorded 10 points for the Raiders.
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