LA GRANDE, Ore. – An offensive struggle from the opening tipoff was just too much pressure to overcome for the Corban University Men's Basketball team tonight, as the Warriors cut their game-long deficit to a single possession on multiple occasions throughout the second half against Eastern Oregon University but couldn't complete their comeback after allowing too many freebies in their 72-65 road loss.
"Tough way to end a road trip that could have been a major statement to our conference," Corban head coach Taylor Kelly explained shortly after the contest concluded. "Our guys battled really hard to close the gap and possibly win the game. But a few untimely breakdowns and a few bad decisions on our end allowed them to play with a lead for the whole game. We were tough as nails in the second half, just wish we could have put two complete halves together. We will learn from it and make the necessary adjustments moving forward."
Following their monumental road upset over No. 2-ranked College of Idaho last night in Caldwell, the Warriors (8-6, 6-2) entered tonight's contest against the Mountaineers (9-4, 4-3) riding a two-game winning streak within the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) yet struggled right out of the gate with EOU's offensive approach. It only took six minutes of game time for Eastern Oregon to establish a double-digit lead against Corban, as the Mounties couldn't miss from beyond the three-point arc and forced the ball down low on each opportunity the Navy and Gold had to defend the arc.
In addition to Eastern Oregon's offense providing fits for Corban's defenders, it took nearly eight minutes for the Warriors to finally reach double figures on the scoreboard offensively with midrange jumpers and three-pointers missing the mark for nearly every starter. Senior guard Drayton Caoile provided eight points off the bench to spark the offense into nearly pulling within a single possession, yet a late triple and some free throws from the Mountaineers resulted in a 39-31 halftime deficit that the Navy and Gold would need to mull over in their locker room.
The Warriors and Mounties traded baskets back-and-forth through the first three minutes of the second half before the visiting program made their first of several runs to close the gap on the scoreboard, as Corban scored seven-straight points, led by senior guard RJ Veliz and an old fashioned three-point play to pull his team back into this matchup at 44-40 in favor of EOU.
Eastern Oregon stretched the lead back to double-digits and even posted their largest lead of the night at 59-46 with eight and a half minutes remaining, but the Navy and Gold battled back one again to pull within two possessions at 59-54. Once again, the Mountaineers rattled off their own run to lead 64-54, but a 7-0 run by Corban capped by a deep three-pointer from redshirt junior guard Nikola Milosevic put the Warriors in a prime position to steal a road win in La Grande after a porous offensive start.
In the end, far too many free buckets allowed to an EOU team that barely managed to outrebound Corban on their home court along with a staggering 15-6 turnover margin proved to be the difference in tonight's contest, as the usually stout Warrior defense allowed the Mounties to shoot 51% from the floor after holding a much more explosive offense in C of I to under 40% last night in Caldwell. Eastern Oregon was able to secure the victory at the free throw line where they shot ten more attempts on the night than the Navy and Gold, with the final score posting at 72-65 and setting up Warrior Nation fans for a prime revenge rematch opportunity coming up in the Willamette Valley to end the month of January.
Caoile and senior guard Luc Krystkowiak each ended their evenings with 12 points apiece and both shot over 50% from the field, combining for six rebounds along the way. Veliz added 11 points and dished out a team-high three assists, while junior guard Spivey Word pitched in 10 points as well.
Mountaineers' guard Garrett Hawkes shot 15 times and managed to find the bottom of the net on six of those occasions for 16 points, followed closely behind by guard Malachi Afework who worked his way to the free throw line on four different occasions to score 14 points overall. A double-double performance from forward Brennen Newsom was the shining moment for Eastern Oregon on the night, logging 12 points and hauling in 11 boards in 28 minutes of action.
Corban men's basketball returns to action next Friday on the road once again, this time in eastern Washington as Walla Walla University (2-9, 1-6) is scheduled to host the Warriors at 2pm on Friday, January 10th.
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