KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – While making history in more ways than one on Tuesday evening, the Corban University men's basketball team captured the 2017 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament Championship presented by U.S. Bank, upsetting No. 22-ranked and No. 4-seeded Oregon Tech, 109-95. Via winning the CCC Tournament Title and continuing the CCC's Cinderella story, Corban earned the CCC's second automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships, set to begin next week.
Click the 'Play Button' on the photo above for video highlights from the CCC Championship.
For the Warriors, it marked the program's fourth-ever CCC Tournament Title, and the first since 2002. Corban became the first-ever No. 8 seed to make it to the CCC Tournament Championship game, and now the first ever to win the contest. The Warriors registered three wins within a seven-day span over three top-25 teams, handing each CCC foe its first loss on their home floor all season long.
The Navy and Gold came into Klamath Falls in front of a crowd of nearly 2000 people, and the Warriors never trailed en route to silencing the Owl faithful in what turned out to be a shooting clinic for Corban. In the first 20 minutes, whether it was Jake Love nailing a big three-pointer, or if it was Jeremiah Harris with a big bucket inside, the Warriors built a lead and did not let Oregon Tech build any momentum, taking a 54-38 lead into the halftime break.
In the second half, Chris Martin started with a three-pointer early on, setting the tone for what was to come. Oregon Tech once again tried to make runs at the Warriors, and pulled to within eight points on a couple of occasions, but Martin had the answer every time for Corban.
Martin continually kept the Owls on the back foot in the second stanza defensively, and while crossing players up and pulling up for deep three-pointers, Martin eventually drained a CCC Tournament record 10 second-half three-pointers. He capped off the historic 34-point performance with a long-range effort from just inside of the half-way line, sending the Warrior bench and fans into a frenzy as the Warriors then celebrated following the final buzzer on the court, knowing they had punched their ticket to nationals.
Following the game, Martin talked about the historic win:
As a team, Corban shot 15-for-25 from downtown for a 60.0% mark, and overall from the floor, the Warriors shot 54.1% in the triumph. On top of Martin's unconscious performance, Love finished the evening with 20 points, while AJ Monterossi totaled 18 points for Corban. Additionally, Jeremiah Harris totaled 12 points and a team-best nine rebounds while helping Corban win the rebounding battle, 41-32.
With the 15 three-pointers made on the evening, Corban has now made a three-point shot in 998-straight games, the longest streak in the NAIA.
After the final whistle had sounded and the nets were cut down, Corban head coach Austin Johnson talked about the monumental team win in an interview:
Corban (18-15) finds out who it will be playing next when the announcement for the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship bracket is announced on Wednesday evening. For now, the Warriors are dancing.
Become a fan of Corban Athletics on Facebook
Follow Corban Athletics on Twitter @CorbanAthletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Instagram: corbanathletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Snapchat: corbanathletics
Watch Corban Warrior videos on Youtube: CorbanUAthletics
Sign up for our Corban Warriors email Newsletter
#WarriorNation
