SALEM, Ore. – Friday night's offensive explosion was followed up by a defensive showcase tonight for the Corban University Men's Basketball team (15-7, 11-5), as the Warriors tied their season-high in blocked shots for a single game en route to a 68-50 victory over the Eagles of Northwest University (7-14, 4-11).
"Loved the way our guys competed tonight," Warriors' Head Coach Taylor Kelly said when asked about his team's ability to keep their composure through a light offensive night. "We came out there with great defensive purpose and gave ourselves the opportunity to win."
Kelly went on to share, "Our guys were locked in on their assignments and really flew around the court. I'm proud of this group, and I can't wait to see how they continue to grow this year."
Corban junior guard Taylor Anderson splashed a three-pointer on the opening possession of the contest for the Warriors, never looking back from that point on and holding the lead the rest of the evening. The Navy and Gold quickly hit the double-digit lead mark with 14:18 remaining in the first half, holding the Eagles to less than an average of one point per minute of play thus far.
The Warriors' advantage stabilized at 14 points through the final minutes of the first half, with senior guard Mateo Escheik scoring the final points before the halftime break via the free throw line. Corban held the Eagles without a field goal over the last five minutes of the half, demonstrating how their defense forced Northwest into difficult scenarios all game long.
Anderson scored eight of his first half game-high 10 points in the first six minutes of play tonight, allowing the rest of the Corban lineup to score at will as well. Seven different Warriors complimented Anderson by scoring in the opening half, led by Escheik's seven points and three rebounds. Eagles' guard Drew Bryson paced the visiting squad with nine points and a pair of boards.
The Navy and Gold embraced a 9-2 run to kickstart the second half of action and climb their lead to 21 points, all starting on an opening and-one jumper from Warriors' senior guard Masie Mohammadi. Despite their deficit growing by the minute, Northwest refused to go down without a fight, rallying off their own 10-2 run to pull within 12 points and forcing a timeout from Coach Kelly.
Unfortunately for the Eagles fans in attendance tonight at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, that comeback bid would slowly drift away over the remainder of the contest, as the Warriors settled back in to their defensive scheme, which allowed them more opportunities on their offensive end that they were able to capitalize on.
Holding Northwest without a field goal for the final three minutes of the contest allowed Corban to cruise to their 68-50 victory, thus allowing the Warriors to improve to 11-5 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play and setup an incredibly important road trip over the next two weekends across the Pacific Northwest.
Escheik led the way for Corban offensively with 13 points and hauled in five rebounds, while senior forward Darius Henderson was all over the court in his six-point, six-rebound, and four-assist performance. Anderson tallied 12 points in total with four rebounds and a trio of assists, while junior guard Collin Warmouth provided 10 points and five boards.
Not a single Eagle was able to score in double-digits tonight thanks to the lockdown defense provided by the Warriors, with Bryson and guard Joose Lee each providing nine points at the rim. Forward Isaiah Dunn added six points and a game-high 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of play.
Corban Men's Basketball looks to earn another season sweep on the road next Friday, as they'll travel to Walla Walla University (1-19, 1-14) to battle the Wolves with a 2pm PST start time on slate.
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