CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Corban University men’s basketball team tested itself against Division I opponent, Oregon State University, on Tuesday evening, and fell against the Pac-12 foe, 86-62. After a difficult first half, the Warriors bounced back in the second half, being outscored by just five points in the exhibition contest.
Tonight’s game marked the second-straight season in which the Warriors faced off against the Beavers. Last year in a season-opening exhibition, Corban fell against Oregon State, 69-42. For Oregon State, Tuesday’s contest was its second of the season after the Beavers defeated Rice last Friday in their home-opener, 67-54.
“I was pleased with the effort of the team tonight, especially in the second half,” commented Corban head coach Steve Masten. “I thought we battled harder and actually only lost the second half by five points. We shot better in Gill Coliseum this year than last, but we struggled with their size and athleticism at both ends of the floor. We were grateful for the opportunity to play Oregon State for the second year in a row.”
While playing on the Pac-12 Network on TV, Oregon State opened the contest on an 11-5 run, hitting five of its first nine shots while gaining a second opportunity on each of its first four possessions. The Beavers extended the lead to 14-5 before Warrior sophomore guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.) drove to the lane and converted on a layup opportunity to cut the deficit to seven.
A few minutes later, freshman guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) nailed back-to-back mid-range jumpers, making it a 22-15 game at the 11:02 mark, keeping Corban in the contest early. Over the next several minutes, however, the Beavers converted on their opportunities on the offensive end, and led 29-17.
At the four-minute mark in the first half, sophomore guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) hit consecutive shots from downtown to bring Corban to within 10.
Continuing to use its size inside, however, Oregon State pushed its advantage back to 14 with 2:19 left in the first half at 42-28.
During the first 20 minutes, second-chance points proved to be the difference, as the Beavers racked up 16 in all and held the rebounding advantage, 22-6. At the halftime break, OSU led the Navy and Gold, 48-29. Herzberg and Monterossi both finished the half with six points, while Gary Payton II totaled 10 points for the Beavers.
Corban finished the half shooting 40% (8-for-20), while Oregon State racked up 34 shots and shot 58.8% from the field (20-34), making as many shots as Corban attempted. The Warriors actually held the advantage at the charity stripe, going 9-for-12, while the Beavers finished just 5-for-7 at the line during the first stanza.
Senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) began the second half strong for the Navy and Gold, finishing with a nifty take to the rack. The Beavers responded immediately however, forcing a pair of Warrior turnovers and extended their lead to 57-33 with 16:17 left in regulation.
Monterossi nailed another jumper after the first media timeout in the second stanza, and sophomore forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) sank his second long-range effort of the night to give Corban an early lift in the half. The Beavers did not let up, however, continuing to stay hot from the field while not giving the Warriors any room to breathe. Carter kept Corban in the contest though, draining from three-point land to make it a 63-43 game with 11:26 left in the second half.
Freshman guard Kade Crossland (Buhl, Idaho) came off the bench in the second half for the Warriors and finished with a strong take to the rim after receiving a pass from Carter, and after being fouled on the take, converted the three-point play from the free throw line.
Not long after, the Beavers then converted on another second-chance point after grabbing the offensive rebound, and after forcing two-straight turnovers and making consecutive layups, the Beavers led 77-56 with just over four minutes remaining.
The exhibition contest would finish with Oregon State on top by 24 points, which is three points less than last year’s defeat for the Warriors.
Watch the game highlights here.
The difference on the night proved to be the points in the paint, in which OSU held the 52-12 advantage. The Beavers (2-0) also took advantage of 19 second-chance points and eight fast-break points, while the Warriors tallied two in each category.
Carter led the way for Corban with 18 points and five boards, while Crowe added nine points and six rebounds. In addition, Monterossi and Herzberg both provided the Navy and Gold with eight points on the evening.
As a team, Corban shot 39.5% from the field, while going 6-for-16 from downtown for a 37.5% mark. Oregon State shot 57.1% from the field, and forced Corban into 13 turnovers defensively. Corban did hold the advantage at the charity stripe, as the Warriors shot 73.3% from the line and made 22 free throws on the night, compared to just an 8-for-16 effort from the Beavers. Payton II and Langston Morris-Walker led the way for OSU with 16 points apiece, while Payton II tallied a game-high nine boards.
Corban (3-1) returns to the court on Friday and Saturday when it hosts Simpson University and New Hope Christian College in the Corban Classic. Tipoff on Friday is set for 7:30 p.m., while Saturday will start at 7 p.m. Fans can follow the live action via the live stats and live video feed if they are not able to make the games.