Knights Win Defensive Battle at Corban
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. - 8th ranked Warner Pacific used a 17-4 second period run to get past an upset minded Corban Univeristy 56-49 at C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem tonight.
In a game that saw both teams struggle to score points, the visiting Knights improved their shooting in the second half to secure the Cascade Conference victory. WP finished the game with a 44 percent shooting percentage, while the host Warriors managed just a 29 percent clip.
With the result Warner Pacific pushes its winning streak to three games, including seven victories in its past eight games to improve to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in league games. Corban falls to 11-9 and 3-6.
In the early moments of the game, Warner Pacific used an 8-0 run to take an eight-point lead (10-2) following a Biniam Tadele jumper with 17:12 left. Over the next five minutes, Corban would battle back to take a two-point lead (16-14) via a 14-4 run that was capped by an old-fashion three-point play by Cronrath at the 12:26 mark. Both teams would battle back and forth for the remainder of the half, as the host Warriors took a slim two-point lead (31-29) into the locker room at halftime.
The second half would begin with Corban using a 4-0 run and enjoyed a six-point lead (37-31) after a Jacob Kopra tip-in with 16:46 on the clock. From the point Warner Pacific went on the 17-4 run that resulted in a seven-point lead (48-41) for the visiting Knights capped by a Ryan Parks jumper at the 7:31 mark. The Knights would continue to hold the lead at 50-44 with just over three minutes remaining until Corban used a 5-2 run that pulled the Warriors within three points (52-49) on a pair of Jorfan Carter free throws with 83 seconds on the clock. Warner Pacific closed the game on a 4-0 run thanks to timely defense and free throw shooting for the seven-point win (56-49).
Warner Pacific was led offensively by William Sharp with a game-high 14 points, while Sean Gaines was the only other Knight in double figures with 11 points. Stephen Harris hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds, while also handing out a game-high five assists.
Coban was led by Jordan Carter and Erik Cronrath with 13 points each, while Jacob Kopra registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.