LEWISTON, Idaho – A gritty first half performance by the Corban University Men' Basketball team was followed up by one of their most inconsistent second half outings of the 2024-25 season, resulting in a lopsided 82-55 loss to No. 15-ranked Lewis-Clark State College earlier tonight at the P1FCU Activity Center.
"Tough second half today," began head coach Taylor Kelly following his program's road loss to LC State. "We didn't guard well or execute offensively, and I frankly didn't coach very well. Not something I think any of us expected, but it happened nonetheless, and we will both learn and grow from it as we near the midway point of conference play."
Looking for their second NAIA Top 25 upset in an eight-day span, the visiting Warriors (9-7, 7-3) played an exceptional opening half in the fan-voted Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Game of the Week, leading for a majority of the period before Lewis-Clark State (13-3, 8-2) roared back to retake the lead with 28 seconds remaining. However, senior guard Luc Krystkowiak drove to the basket and laid the ball up and in with two seconds remaining to force a 31-all tie at the halftime break.
Hanging with another nationally ranked opponent on their own home court through the first twenty minutes of regulation set the Navy and Gold up for success, yet opening up the second half by allowing a 17-2 run to LC State would spell disaster for the upset minded Warriors who would never cut the deficit to below double-digits for the remainder of the Saturday's night marquee west coast matchup.
While Corban typically utilizes a consistent offensive approach by spreading the ball out to each corner of the court and force their opponents to respect their three-point shooting, offensive struggles during their 15-point drought allowed the hometown Warriors to hold them to just 22 points in the paint while dominating the boards and their own offensive end of the floor with 56 points within the key.
Krystkowiak finished his evening with a team-high 13 points along with eight rebounds, while senior guard RJ Veliz and junior guard Spivey Word pitched in 12 points apiece, with Veliz securing six boards in the paint. The trio of starting guards were the only visiting student-athletes in double-digit scoring, with the remainder of Corban's lineup scoring a combined 18 points.
After an uneventful first half where the Navy and Gold defense held forward Alton Hamilton to just four points, the Fontana, California native responded in the second half to finish with a game-high 20 points and represent one of five LC State players in double-digit scoring. Guards John Lustig and MaCarhy Morris combined for 26 points, 11 boards, and seven rebounds, while forward Kellen Jedlicka stepped up off the bench to add 12 points.
Corban men's basketball will have an opportunity to rebound on their home court next weekend, as they're scheduled to host The Evergreen State College (1-11, 1-8) at 7:30pm next weekend
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