PORTLAND, Ore. – With AJ Monterossi coming up with clutch baskets all evening long, the Corban University men's basketball team outlasted Multnomah University on Friday night on the road, 76-68. For the Warriors, the win is their fourth-straight in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play.
"The guys did a great job of maintaining composure throughout the course of the game," said Corban head coach Austin Johnson. "Credit to Multnomah as they played a part in us struggling to find a rhythm all night. I am proud of this group though for sticking together and gutting one out."
Monterossi got things going quickly, scoring early and often in the first half to help put Corban up midway through the first 20 minutes. Multnomah showed resiliency, however, and with Darius Redrick and Moe Keita both scoring in creative ways, the Lions kept things close. A few important buckets near the end of the first half pushed the Warriors in front, including a three-pointer from Chris Martin to give Corban a 40-32 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Lions stormed back with some deep three-pointers and nifty shots inside to take a lead briefly and give the home side hope. Monterossi quickly responded with a pair of jumpers, however, putting Corban back in front, and down the stretch, the Warriors remained calm under pressure, making key free throws to go along with some important fast-break layups en route to holding off Multnomah for the eight-point victory.
Monterossi finished the big night with a season-best 25 points, three assists and three boards, while both Chris Martin and Jeremiah Harris also scored in double-figures with 13 points and 12 points, respectively. On top of his 12 points, Harris also notched a double-double with 10 rebounds. In addition, Joel Johnson tallied eight points and a team-best 11 boards, while Hayden Nelson registered 10 rebounds to help Corban hold a 57-47 rebounding edge on the night. After the game, Monterossi talked about the important victory:
As a team, Corban shot 41.3% from the floor while going just 11-of-24 from the charity stripe. Defensively, the Warriors locked down and held the Lions to a 35.1% shooting mark on the night as a team.
"We got plenty of open shots and free throws we usually knock down; our rebounding and depth were why we pulled this out," said Johnson. "We'll need to be better tomorrow and I'm sure our guys will be excited for the opportunity."
For Multnomah, Keita finished with a team-best 17 points on an 8-for-16 shooting effort to go with 11 rebounds, while Redrick totaled 15 points and 10 boards.
Corban (12-7, 5-4 CCC) heads back up north to Portland tomorrow evening for a CCC battle against Warner Pacific College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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