LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Corban University Men's Basketball team can fall no further than the ffith-overall seed in the upcoming Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament after a clutch performance tonight in eastern Oregon, as the Warriors hit dire shots and free throws down the stretch to escape with a 70-65 road victory over Eastern Oregon University. The Navy and Gold forced a season split with the Mounties via tonight's win and will either be the fifth or fourth seed in next week's postseason tournament depending on results tomorrow around the conference.

"What a fun and gritty win for our guys," Warriors' head coach Taylor Kelly stated earlier this evening. "We did a great job of staying focused on the task and executing down the stretch. Collin was tremendous in the second half and Jay played phenomenal offense all game. Taylor continues to prove why is one of the biggest winners in the history of this program. Love these guys and can't wait to see how we play tomorrow."

After dropping their first matchup in Salem back in January, the Warriors (17-9, 14-7) needed to find early consistency if they wanted to earn the revenge win on the road, which they immediately found after starting the game on a 5-0 run. The Mounties (11-16, 10-11) battled back to take a two-possession lead of their own midway through the opening half, but an over five-minute scoreless streak for EOU allowed Corban to outscore the home team 17-10 over the final minutes of the first period to take a 31-28 lead into the locker rooms.

Junior forward Jay Wilson was the only player from either team in double-figures through 20 minutes of action, scoring 13 points by connecting on 60% of his field goals and adding six rebounds in the process by playing only 13 minutes. Each team struggled from the three-point line early on, with each squad converting on 2-of-9 attempts, resulting in numerous points in the paint open for grabs.

A back-and-forth second half saw both teams take multiple lead changes to their benches, with the Warriors clinging to a 66-63 lead with 2:45 remaining. Wilson had already secured his double-double with crunch time still to play, while senior guard Collin Warmouth had kicked into another gear once again by going shot-for-shot with the Mounties all on his own by converting on multiple pullup & fadeaway jumpers.

After both teams caught fire from the field through 90% of the second half, points were difficult to come by over the final two minutes, with a grand total of six points being scored by either team. Fortunately for the Warriors, four of those points dropped in their own basket, as Wilson drove to the basket for two and senior guard Reece Van Lierop splashed a pair of free throws to clinch the road win in La Grande.

Despite Eastern Oregon holding the advantage in every statistical category, it was Wilson and the Warriors who walked out of Quinn Coliseum with their heads held high, as the Denton, Texas native secured a 24-point and 11-rebound double-double to pace the Corban offense. Warmouth added 14 points with five boards, senior guard Taylor Anderson continued his all-around performances with 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Van Lierop finished with 12 points and four boards. Anderson and Van Lierop both had complete game appearances tonight to command Coach Kelly's lineup.

Three Mounties finished in double-figures tonight, led by guard Garrett Hawkes and his team-high 17 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Guards Jonny Hillman and Jaden Hansen pitched in 11 and 10 points, respectively, while forward Brennen Newsome secured nine boards and eight points for a near double-double.

The Navy and Gold will look to play the villain tomorrow night on the road against the No. 3-ranked College of Idaho (25-2, 20-1), with the Yotes hosting their Senior Day festivities prior to the start of their 5pm tipoff.

Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Snapchat l YouTube l Email

Download our App: iOS (iPhone/iPad) l Android