SALEM, Ore. – Warrior Nation members in attendance this evening at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center witnessed the defensive clash that head coach Taylor Kelly dreams about for his program on a daily basis, as the Corban University Men's Basketball team held an incredibly efficient Warner Pacific University squad to season-lows in multiple team statistical categories to pick up a 68-56 victory on Tim Hills Court earlier this evening in their Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) opener.
"I'm really proud of our guys and the way they competed tonight," Coach Kelly shared. "Our guys practiced really hard and remained focused all week long for this matchup, and it translated to our defensive efforts and how we shot the ball. This was by far our best defensive and rebounding effort of the year, and it obviously paid dividends."
While scoring analysis may detail that tonight's matchup was closer than the final score, the Warriors (3-4, 1-0) were relentless in their full court defensive press and in the paint rebounding the Knights' (4-2, 0-2) missed shot attempts, scooping up nearly as many defensive rebounds as Warner Pac did on both ends of the court in total to eventually outrebound WPU 42-29.
Warner Pacific's first true road test of the 2024-25 season didn't go as intended thanks to Corban's lockdown defensive presence across the court, as the Knights' scored a season-low 56 points while being held to their least efficient offensive output of the year with just 38% of their field goal attempts finding the bottom of the basket while tying their lowest rebounding effort of the year with only 29 boards in total for the contest.
After trading leads back and forth through the first 13 minutes of action, the momentum shift in favor of Corban came on back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore guard Ben Krystkowiak that forced the Knights into a first half timeout, just for junior guard Spivey Word and Krystkowiak to add another layup and three-ball, respectively, to stretch the Warriors' lead into double-digits in a matter of minutes.
WPU struggled to find their balance offensively and defensively until the 11:40 mark in the second half, when forward Jurrien Sparks splashed a jumper in the paint to force Coach Kelly into a timeout while leading 45-37. The Knights held possession with opportunities to cut their deficit even shorter on a handful of occasions throughout the final ten minutes of regulation, yet the Navy and Gold defense held strong to cruise into a 68-56 home victory and extend their winning streak into a second matchup.
The youngest Krystkowiak brother, usually known for his defensive efforts, was a shining light in the Warriors' offensive scheme this evening, scoring a game-high 21 points by converting on two-thirds of his field goal attempts (8-for-12), including 5-of-8 from three-point territory. Senior guard Drayton Caoile and senior forward Jared Franklin each scored ten points with six rebounds apiece, while senior guard RJ Veliz snagged six boards of his own and dished out a game-high six assists.
Warner Pac saw their own 21-point effort from forward Terrin Dickey along with six rebounds in the paint, while guard Matt Soloman was the only other double-digit scorer for the Knights with 13 points on 4-for-12 shooting and four free throws. Sparks brought down a team-high seven rebounds while guard Cade Baker was responsible for a trio of assists.
Coming off a one-point road upset victory over Bushnell University earlier tonight, the Multnomah Lions (6-1, 2-0) will arrive at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center tomorrow evening as the Warriors' Saturday night adversary, with tipoff scheduled for 5pm.
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