SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Another winnable yet motivating contest for the Corban University Men's Basketball team slipped through their fingers in the second half of their Mustang Invite matchup in southern California, as the No. 6-ranked Firestorm of Arizona Christian University utilized a late-game rally to hand the Warriors their second 83-73 defeat in as many days against yet another nationally recognized foe.
"I'm really proud of the way our guys battled tonight against one of the elite programs in the country," said Corban head coach Taylor Kelly. "Jared was great defensively and was special on the defensive glass today. We are a group with lots of room for improvement, and I believe we will make our strides as the season develops."
Following a first possession three-pointer by sophomore guard Ben Krystkowiak, the Warriors (1-2) struggled to keep the Firestorm (6-0) out of the paint in a dominant performance for ACU in the post, as Arizona Christian would score their first six baskets in the paint and eventually hold a 52-18 advantage in points scored within the key over the complete 40 minutes of action at The MacArthur Center earlier today.
Trailing by eight to begin the second half, the Navy and Gold would eventually pull to within a single possession at 37-34 after junior guard Payton Meyers splashed a three-ball and junior guard Spivey Word knocked down a jumper, yet a 12-0 run following the trading of baskets by the Firestorm put Corban in a double-digit hole with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Try as the Warriors might, the consistency from Arizona Christian's offense (who shot over 48% on the day) proved to be too much to overcome in their neutral site matchup and resulted in the 83-73 decision with plenty of opportunities to grow prior to the start of Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play this upcoming December.
Word once again led Corban on the offensive end of the floor with a season-high 24 points along with a pair of steals and assists, while senior guard RJ Veliz added 13 points and four dimes in 32 minutes played. On the glass, senior forward Jared Franklin hauled in ten rebounds and was the team leader in assists with five this afternoon. Finally, senior guard Drayton Caoile extended his double-digit scoring streak to begin his Warrior career with 12 more points scored today off the bench.
For the Firestorm, five different players were in double-digit scoring in today's matchup, led by forward Anthony Howell and his team-best 17 points and eight boards. Guard Trent Hudgens added 11 points, four assists, and three rebounds, while guard Tyler Silva hopped off the bench to dish out a game-high seven dimes.
Next Tuesday, the Navy and Gold will play in their lone exhibition matchup of the 2024-25 season, as they'll travel to NCAA DI Boise State University (1-1) to battle the Broncos at 7pm MT/6pm PT.
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