PORTLAND, Ore. – The Corban University men's basketball team has clinched at least a share of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Spring-Season Championship, defeating Multnomah University on Sunday night by a final score of 86-61 to move to 9-2 (.818) in conference play.

"Our guys continue to fight, and they have earned everything they have accomplished this year," said head coach Taylor Kelly. "Everyone has contributed, and tonight was no different. I'm super proud of their effort, and I am looking forward to one last opportunity to compete together tomorrow!"

CLICK HERE to watch Kelly's postgame interview.

The next-highest winning percentage—the factor used to determine the champion—in the CCC spring standings belongs to Oregon Tech, which has concluded its season at 6-2 (.750), and will not play any more contests in 2021 due to Warner Pacific's current 14-day pause related to COVID-19.

Should Corban defeat Multnomah tomorrow, the squad will clinch the CCC Spring-Season Championship outright.

On Sunday night, the two squads traded buckets through the first 10 minutes of the game. With 10:37 left in the first half, Denis Kirichenko sank a two-point basket to break a 19-19 tie and spark a 13-3 run for the Warriors. Corban never looked back from there, retaining the lead for the remainder of the contest.

The Warriors possessed a significant size advantage in the paint, and they capitalized on it. Corban racked up a season-high 25 offensive rebounds in the contest, which led to the squad outscoring the Lions in second-chance points by a daunting 22-5 margin.

Senior Mauricio Smith was at the center of the action under the rim, notching his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds. The 13 boards marked a new career high for the standout veteran.

To hear what Smith had to say after the triumph, CLICK HERE.

Mateo Escheik was just one rebound shy of a double-double himself, finishing the contest with 14 points and nine boards (career high). Also scoring 14 points, Jordan Newt turned in his fourth-consecutive game in double figures, adding six rebounds and notching four assists to his stat line.

Before an ankle injury took him out of the game early, Kirichenko had the hot hand at the start of tonight's battle. In just 13 minutes, he racked up nine points and seven rebounds.

For the Lions, Grant Dunn (16 points) and Grant Balvanz (14 points) led the charge. Typical of the offensive style that Multnomah has become well known for, 44 of the hometown team's 68 shots (65%) were from beyond the arc.

Corban's perimeter defense—led by Dirk Helaire II, who blocked two shots and tallied a takeaway—limited the Lions to just a 29.5% shooting clip from three-point range.

The Warriors (14-3, 9-2 CCC) have now won four-straight, and will look to close out the season tomorrow on a high note. Corban will play its final game of the 2021 spring campaign tomorrow afternoon against Multnomah, looking to claim sole possession of the CCC Spring-Season title. Tip-off in Portland is slated for 1 p.m.