SALEM, Ore. – In a rare non-conference contest between Cascade Collegiate Conference members, the Corban University Men's Basketball team nearly completed the comeback of the short season on Tim Hills Court, as the Warriors roared back in the second half after trailing by as many as 16 points in the opening period against the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon University, eventually forcing overtime before dropping an 87-81 decision in their final non-conference contest of the 2025-26 regular season.
"Tonight was a great contest and a tale of two halves," explained Warriors' head coach Wayne Mendezona shortly after their final non-conference result. "The first half lack of intensity and commitment that we talk about every single day really burned us in the end. But the second half was beautiful and something that we can build on. Every player exhibited tremendous heart and courage in resiliency to put us in a position to win the game. That's all you can ask for, so I'm really proud of every single one of our guys. Tj, Anjay, Oreon, and Joe were all major contributors, and Landon off the bench was fabulous. We also had key contributions from Chris, CJ, and Niko among others that gave us hard fought minutes. The second half momentum is definitely something to build on into next week's trip to Southern Oregon and OIT. Very proud of this team!"
An offensive showcase by the Mountaineers (7-3) throughout the opening half was quickly extinguished in the second period that allowed the Warriors (5-5) the opportunity they needed to rebound following a respectable offensive opener yet defensively couldn't find a way to shut Eastern Oregon down. EOU shot 61% from the floor through the first twenty minutes of regulation, scoring 46 points eight three-pointers rained down on the Navy and Gold, while Corban managed just 34 points on their home floor.
True freshman guard Landon Knox provided the Dubs with the momentum shift they needed to put themselves in contention for a victory late in the second half, as he scored on three-consecutive possessions, including a huge "and-1" layup and a deep three-pointer, to cut a ten-point deficit into a four-point lead for the Mounties with three and a half minutes remaining. Knox's offensive outburst where he scored all eight of his points in a 45-second span rallied his team to take their first lead since early in the first half with just over three minutes remaining. Junior guard Joe Gould splashed a triple of his own at the 1-minute mark to put the Warriors up two possessions, but Eastern Oregon was able to force overtime thanks to timely free throws of their own while missed free throws and a costly turnover for Corban resulted in a scoreless final 59 seconds for the hometown team.
The overtime period was a back-and-forth scoring affair for both programs, with the Mountaineers ending the contest on an 8-2 over the final four minutes courtesy of the Warriors' offense stalling down the stretch. A 42-25 advantage in points scored off the bench for the Mounties powered the visiting squad to their seventh victory of the season, simultaneously pushing Corban back to .500 overall.
Another all-around effort from Gould put the Navy and Gold in contention to take this decision against EOU, as he finished tonight's contest with a team-high 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting, hauling in eight rebounds, dishing out four assists, and swatting a pair of blocks along the way. Senior guard Anjay Cortez scored 17 points and brought down six boards, while redshirt junior center Tj Zimmermann scored 12 points with four rebounds.
Clutch free throws and five of his team's 12 overtime period points for guard Eamon Monahan clinched the victory for Eastern Oregon, as he nearly secured a double-double effort with eight rebounds in his 36 minutes played. Guard James Bodily tied Monahan for the game-high scoring mark with 22 points off the bench, which included six three-pointers that swung the first half in EOU's favor. Guards Trent Rogers and Isaiah Jones each scored 12 points apiece as well.
Corban men's basketball will have a week to prepare for their final road trip of the calendar year, as they'll venture south down the I-5 interstate with their first scheduled stop in Ashland to battle Southern Oregon University (4-5, 2-0) at 7:30pm on Friday, December 19th.
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