COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. – What better way to celebrate one's birthday than with a 28-point margin of victory on the road in a Cascade Collegiate Conference matchup, as the Corban University Men's Basketball team (16-7, 12-5) held the Walla Walla University Wolves (1-21, 1-16) below 50 total points for the second time this season, the only WWU opponent to do so over the course of the entire year.
"Great win tonight by our guys," Corban Head Coach Taylor Kelly said shortly after their season sweep clinching win over the Wolves. "Really proud of the way they played in the second half and how they locked in on our halftime adjustments. Now onto a massive game tomorrow at LC State!"
After Corban blew Walla Walla out of the water at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center back in December to the tune of 66 points, the Wolves came out much stronger on their home court in the opening minutes against the Warriors, even leading on multiple occasions as the two CCC teams scratched and clawed their way to a single-digit deficit at the first media timeout.
The Warriors' offense began to click as the contest moved on, jumping out to a 24-12 advantage in a matter of minutes after the Wolves led on their home floor. Despite a slight run by Walla Walla to force the deficit back to single-digits, a three-ball from Corban senior guard Masie Mohammadi gave the Navy and Gold an 11-point lead at the final media timeout of the first half.
Back-and-forth the Warriors and Wolves went over the final minutes of the first half, with Corban holding a 37-26 advantage at halftime after breaking even offensively to end the period. Warriors' junior guard Andrew Stafford led all student-athletes at the half with 10 points scored, adding a rebound and an assist in the process. Meanwhile, Wolves' guard Ethan Ford had eight points on 3-for-5 shooting with three boards to lead the home squad.
The Corban starters found success early to begin the second half, stretching the visiting team lead to 45-30 at the first media timeout. Turnovers from Walla Walla had been the difference maker thus far, as the Warriors' 12 points off nine miscues on the Wolves' offensive end of the court had led to easy transition buckets for Corban.
Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the basket over the next several minutes, scoring every so often but never breaking the double-digit lead for Corban. With less than ten minutes to play, a layup from Warriors' junior guard Taylor Anderson gave the Navy and Gold their first 20 points lead of the game and allowed the visitors to hit the cruise control en route to their 77-49 road victory.
Corban led in virtually every statistical category, ranging from points off turnover (22-10), all the way to points off the bench (38-14). Walla Walla was able to salvage a 30-30 rebounding margin, but scored 12 less points in the paint than the towering Warrior lineup.
Warriors' senior guard Masie Mohammadi, who just so happened to be celebrating his birthday today, scored 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting, including two three-pointers and a pair of assists. Stafford, alongside junior guard Collin Warmouth and senior forward James Carlson, all added 13 points apiece to the Warriors' totals.
Ford was the lone Wolf in double-digit today for Walla Walla, scoring a game-high 18 points and hauling in seven rebounds. Guard Caleb Golden followed in part with nine points and a trio of boards.
The Warriors jump back to action tomorrow night against Lewis-Clark State College (11-11, 8-8) at 6pm PST, looking to earn the weekend conference sweep.
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