David Clarke came up with a nice all-around game with 14 points, six assists and six rebounds in win tonight over Corban University. (photo by Kelly Caleb)
Corban Upset Bid Falls Short, Ninth-ranked Oregon Tech Wins 87-76
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. –Corban University came to town with an upset on their mind, and almost pulled it off. Oregon Tech managed to come from 11 down in the first half to win 87-76 tonight in CCC play. Oregon Tech moves to 21-3 on the season and 12-1 in CCC play. Corban is now 14-11 and 4-9 in the conference standings.
Corban took a 7-0 lead to start the contest, but Tech took their first lead at 16:05 after an 8-0 run of their own.
Corban, once shooting at the 77% mark in the first period, rallied from the one point deficit to take their largest lead of the first half at 34-23 with just over eight minutes remaining in the opening period. Both teams would combine for 19 made 3-point field goals in the first half alone.
A 17-8 Tech run, however, tied things up at 40 each, but Corban closed out the half on an 8-2 spurt with the ninth-ranked Owls trailing at intermission.
Corban opened up the second half with a basket to boost their lead to eight points, but behind a raucous home crowd of nearly 1900 at Danny Miles Court, came roaring back tie the game at 50 on a Kyle Gomez jumper, and on the next possession, when Bryant Sentman connected for two, the Owls had their first advantage since the 12:42 mark of the first half.
Corban would answer to go up by three, but that would be the last burst they had as Oregon Tech would run their home win streak to 51 in a row.
After a 62-62 tie with 11:40 remaining to play, a 13-1 run by the host team gave the Owls all the breathing room they would need. Corban closed to nine points, but never managed to get it closer, as Oregon Tech moved on for the 87-76 win.
Joseph Foster came away with a game-high 22 points, grabbed six boards and handed out three assists in the win for the Owls. Scotty Riddle, off the bench, netted 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while Kyle Gomez added a double-double 15 points and 11 rebounds. David Clarke was 4-for-6 from long range finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Jordan Carter led Corban with 20 points and six rebounds, followed by Erik Cronrath with 16 points and six assists. Ian Logan finished with 14 points and Jonathan Ramirez added 13.