SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University men's basketball team came to play on Saturday night, handing Oregon Tech just their second conference loss of the season and thwarting their chances of having sole possession of first place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings.

Head coach Taylor Kelly said, "Tonight was probably the most complete game we've played all year long. We did a great job of defending by holding OIT to 37% shooting from the field. Our guys did a tremendous job of locking in and securing stops with rebounds."

It was a large and loud crowd in Salem as both teams were well supported. The atmosphere and intensity on both sides made it difficult to believe that at one point the Warriors were leading by 16, and never allowed OIT to lead by more than two.

It was a low scoring affair in the first half and was all tied up at 30 until OIT received a goal tending violation and Oregon Tech's head coach was awarded a technical. Kendall Moore made his shot from the charity stripe and the Warriors went into half-time with a three-point lead and the momentum.

The Hustlin' Owls fought to the final minute, but the remarkable Navy and Gold defense held the Owls to their third lowest shooting percentage of the season (36.7%).

Three-point shooting proved to play a large role in deciding the victor of Friday's conference contest, and it was the Warriors who took advantage of some open three-pointers in the second period, draining five from deep at a 71%.

For Corban, Moore led all scorers with 21 and Taylor Anderson (17), Mateo Escheik (11), and Jordan Newt (10) joined him in the double-digit scoring category.  

Kellen Gerig (19) was the lone Owl in double digit figures.

As a team, Corban shot 49.1% from the field in their 75-64 triumph, while the Owls shot 36.7% from the floor. Both teams finished with 26 bench points, while Oregon Tech converted on 10 second-chance points with Corban only garnering three in the category.  Oregon Tech was also outscored on points-in-the-paint, with the Owls' totaling 28 points to 30 for the Navy and Gold.

Kelly added: "OIT is as physically tough as they come and our guy's battle for everything. The stops lead to our offensive flow, and we had a bunch of guys make plays. I am so proud of our guys and the way they competed tonight!"

The Warriors (16-10, 11-7 CCC) return to the hardwood next weekend when they host Walla Walla on Friday night, and Lewis-Clark State College on Saturday in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.