EUGENE, Ore. – A no-call to end an 83-82 back-and-forth affair within the Morse Center and an administrative technical foul to start it ruined an otherwise miraculous comeback bid displayed by the Corban University Men's Basketball program, as a ruinous first half was wiped clean with a dominating second half performance that fell a single point shy of completing the come-from-behind victory against I-5 rival Bushnell University.
With the Beacons (9-9, 6-5) having already clinched at least a season split against the Warriors (8-11, 4-7) with their Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) opener victory in Salem, Corban entered tonight's contest looking to defend what could have been a six-straight season winning at least one game against Bushnell. However, an administrative technical foul to start the matchup provided the Beacons with a 1-0 lead before tipoff even occurred, a free throw that would prove to be crucial in deciding tonight's victor after Bushnell's second half collapse.
While the Corban offense wasn't necessarily playing poorly in the first half, scoring 39 points on 43% shooting from the field, defensively the Navy and Gold couldn't find any stops to keep the Beacons from scoring virtually at will, building a 50-39 lead that stood at the halftime horn. Bushnell doubled up Corban in the rebounding battle during the opening half to establish their double-digit lead, yet the Warriors limited their own turnovers and kept control of the ball in transition and in setting up good looks from the floor, just unable to find the bottom of the basket.
A four-point swing out the gate in the second half resulted in a timeout being called by the Beacons just over a minute into the contest, with the Dubs tying the game on a redshirt junior center Tj Zimmermann three-pointer with 15:51 remaining in regulation following a 9-0 run for Corban. The Warriors even established a four-point lead less than a minute later, but the Beacons were able to regain their footing and go shot-for-shot down the stretch.
Bushnell pushed their lead back to three points on a pair of free throws with just over a minute remaining, and a missed jumper from the Navy and Gold all but sealed their fate in Eugene. However, back-to-back outstanding defensive efforts from the Warriors put them down a point with possession and thirteen seconds on the clock to work with.
After thirty-eight team fouls were called through the opening 19 minutes and 57 seconds, the game-winning attempt from junior guard Joe Gould as time expired was off the mark substantially with nay a whistle to be heard, allowing Bushnell to escape on their home court with a one-point win despite leading by as many as 19 points in the opening period.
A career-high 24 points from redshirt junior guard Clyde Harris Jr. was nearly the difference maker Corban needed to flip a loss into an unexpected victory, as the Fairfax, Virginia native was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field with three rebounds and a pair of steals along the way. Zimmermann was dominant in the paint once again with 19 points, four assists, and three boards, while Gould had his most balanced contest of the season dishing out a game-high eight assists, hauling in seven rebounds, and scoring ten points along with four steals defensively.
Massive first half numbers for the Beacons eventually allowed the hosts to hang on to their narrow victory, with forward Cory Johnson leading the way with 21 points and eight rebounds. Forward Kaleb Burnett pitched in 17 points and brought down seven boards, while the only other Beacon in double-figure scoring was guard Keenan Reckamp who jumped off the bench to score 13 points.
The Warriors make their return to Tim Hills Court this upcoming Saturday at 5pm, as they'll host Warner Pacific University (5-13, 1-9) looking to earn a season sweep over the Knights.
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