CHANDLER, Ariz. – The No. 15-seeded Corban University Men's Basketball team finally saw their miracle run come to an end tonight in southern Arizona, as the Warriors were unable to muster a fourth-straight postseason victory on the road and instead saw their 2025-26 campaign come to an end via a 71-50 loss to No. 12-ranked and No. 2-seeded Arizona Christian University in the 2026 NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.
"The Warriors came in prepared for battle, but the early physicality and lack of fouls by the officials set the tone for the game," explained Corban head coach Wayne Mendezona following the final contest of first season as the program leader. "However, our team continued to fight all the way through and at particular stages of the game, had open opportunities to narrow the gap, but were unable to convert timely shots and gather key rebounds during those stretches. I couldn't be prouder of this team in terms of their preparation and hard work in practices leading up to this national tournament game, as they were truly up for the challenge. However, all credit goes to Arizona Christian, who were just a bigger, more athletic, and physical team. They hit timely shots and controlled the backboards early which helped them. ACU handled our runs to thwart off any attempt to get back into the game."
When asked to discuss his team's efforts from the entire 2025-26 season, Mendezona shared, "Our team had a Cinderella season for the ages! To win the Cascade conference tournament in our first year as a coaching staff has been an incredible feat, along with huge wins throughout the season makes this a remarkable first year for our new program. I want to thank all of the players and especially our seniors for the tremendous leadership and commitment to excellence that they pursued each and every day throughout a tough and grinding season. We give all glory to God through the tough times, the winning times, and mountain top experiences. All glory goes to our Lord Jesus Christ! I couldn't be prouder of this group, go Warriors!"
Playing in their fourth-consecutive postseason matchup on the road and sixth-straight away from Tim Hills Court, the Warriors (17-15) finally fell victim to the higher seed during their Cinderella run, as the nationally ranked Firestorm (23-7) earned their second victory of the year over Corban men's basketball in Arizona, both starting and ending the Dubs' season with a losing decision. Arizona Christian took control early in the opening half and never looked back, leading by double-digits at the halftime break and by as many as 26 late in the second half.
While the Dubs continued to play efficient defense as they have all postseason, their offense finally ran into a brick wall represented by the Firestorm, as they converted on just 34% of their field goals for the contest and shot only 13 free throws across the 40 minutes of regulation. Junior guard Joe Gould led the Warriors with 12 points, while redshirt senior guard Anjay Cortez added 11 points and the duo each hauled in four rebounds. Corban's leading scorer, junior center Tj Zimmermann, was limited to just five points on 2-for-9 shooting.
ACU earned double-digit scoring efforts from four different student-athletes to advance into the national tournament second round, led by guard Ese Onakpoma and his 14 points and three steals. Guards Drew Goodline and BJ Stewart added 12 points apiece, while guard Shaud Bradley tacked on another 11 points in a near double-double effort thanks to nine rebounds.
The loss concludes the first season of the Mendezona era for Corban men's basketball with a 17-15 overall record and were dead even in conference play with a 10-10 record. Despite holding the No. 7-seed in the CCC tournament, the regular season was highlighted with massive victories over No. 9-ranked The Master's University, No. 22-ranked Oregon Tech, defending national champion Yotes of The College of Idaho, Southern Oregon University, and on the road against Eastern Oregon not once, but twice. They'll return their starting point guard in Gould and center in Zimmermann next season with a reserve core off the bench set to step up into starting roles under the guidance of Mendezona and his staff, and another run into the non-conference slate scheduled to begin in the late fall of 2026.
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