CALDWELL, Idaho – The Corban University Men's Basketball team ran into a brick wall this evening against the reigning national champions and recently crowned 2023-24 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season champs, No. 3-ranked College of Idaho, where the Yotes jumped out to a massive double-digit lead and didn't give the Warriors hardly any chance of mounting a comeback amid an 88-46 statement win on C of I's own home floor.
"Not the performance we were hoping for but hats off to The College of Idaho on the way they performed tonight," Warriors' head coach Taylor Kelly stated. "This group is special and I'm excited to go through this conference tournament with them."
A day after clinching the CCC regular season title for the fourth-straight season, the Yotes (26-2, 21-1) kept their feet on the gas pedal early to build a substantial scoreboard advantage in the regular season finale for both postseason-bound programs, as the Warriors (17-10, 14-8) struggled to find their offensive consistency in the first half en route to a forgettable 41-14 first half for Corban.
However, the Navy and Gold didn't become discouraged from the first half loss and emerged from the locker room to start the final period on a 19-6 run, cutting the deficit to 16 points and hitting their first three-pointer of the game to keep their NAIA record alive and locate the first scrap of momentum that College of Idaho had given them all night long.
However, the nationally ranked Yotes weren't deterred from their second half slump and roared back with twelve-straight points to extend their lead back to 28 points with just over eleven minutes remaining in the contest. Once C of I eclipsed the 30-point margin, each team plugged their reserves in for the final minutes to provide their starters with some rest before the postseason begins next Wednesday.
Senior guards Collin Warmouth and Taylor Anderson were the only Warriors in double-figures this evening, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Anderson added a game-high four assists. Junior forward Jay Wilson hauled in a team-high seven rebounds with eight points scored.
A 16-point and 11-rebound double-double performance from Yotes' guard Jake O'Neil propelled the No. 3-ranked program to their Senior Day win, as guard Samaje Morgan came off the bench to score 19 points and Dougie Peoples pitched in 10 more throughout the second half. Forward Paul Wilson brought down a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Warriors will turn their attention to a familiar foe in the upcoming CCC Tournament quarterfinal round next Wednesday at 7:30pm, as they'll travel down the I-5 interstate to Ashland for a rubber match bout with Southern Oregon University where the Warriors will serve as the No. 5-overall seed on the road and battle the No. 4-seeded Raiders who narrowly edged out the home court advantage via tiebreaker scenarios.
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