SALEM, Ore. – In what was a competitive game early on, the Corban University men's basketball team pushed the pace late in the first half to take a big lead into the break, and then in the second stanza, the Warriors caught fire from downtown, resulting in a 108-72 triumph over Walla Walla University on Friday afternoon.
Click the 'Play Button' on the photo above for video highlights from the win.
"The guys responded well today and it was good to see them bounce back," said Corban head coach Austin Johnson. "Once our defense tightened up, we were able to get out in transition and get some easy buckets. I was most proud of our unselfish ball movement. Guys were really looking for each other and playing with a high level of trust which says a lot about them and their character."
Corban nailed 16 three-pointers in the win on Friday, the third-highest amount during the 2016-17 season. Of those 16 long-range efforts, 13 of them came in the second half when the Warriors blew the game wide open and seemingly couldn't miss.
Walla Walla began the game well, with Alex Calloway scoring some buckets down low for the Wolves to give the road squad the early advantage. Corban responded quickly, however, and thanks to a number of big offensive spurts over the course of the first 20 minutes, the Warriors had a 50-27 lead heading into the locker rooms.
Corban shot 51.2% during the first stanza, while Walla Walla shot only 37.5% in the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, Walla Walla's Isaiah Taylor caught fire inside of the first few minutes with a trio of three-pointers to cut into Corban's big lead. The Warriors then went to work from downtown themselves, with Andrew Evans sinking a couple from beyond the arc, and then Chris Martin was subbed into the contest for the Warriors, and he made an immediate impact.
Over the course of the next several minutes, Martin would nail seven three-pointers and score 22 points in 13 minutes played. Along with Martin hitting shots from downtown, Mike Seng also got in on the action, as did Caleb Herzberg, as it was a total team effort from deep en route to the big win.
On top of Martin's offensive output, four other players finished the afternoon in double-figures, as Joel Johnson tallied 15 points on a 5-for-7 shooting effort and a 5-for-6 mark from the line. AJ Monterossi recorded a 14-point scoring output to go with seven assists, while Seng added 12 points and Herzberg totaled 10 points. After the game, Seng talked about the win:
As a team, the Warriors shot 52.5% in the win while nailing 42.1% of their shots from deep. Defensively, Corban held Walla Walla to a 36.4% shooting mark overall on the evening.
For the Wolves, Calloway led the way with 16 points, while Ethan Osias and Taylor both finished with 11 points in the defeat.
Corban (14-10, 7-7 CCC) returns to the hardwood next week on the road at Northwest University and the Evergreen State College. Tipoffs are set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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