Jordan Carter scored 23 points in Corban's big win on Tuesday.
SALEM, Ore. – With a quartet of players scoring in double digits on Tuesday evening, the Corban University men’s basketball team flew past New Hope Christian College in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, 99-74. In what was the season-opener for the Warriors, Corban utilized a big second-half run en route to pulling away from the Deacons.
After New Hope jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead to begin the contest, the Warriors responded with a few buckets of their own, tying the game at 8-8 after junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.) made a layup off an assist from senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.). Corban then went on a 15-8 run over the course of the next several minutes, with sophomore forward Cody Crowe (Grants Pass, Ore.) converting an and-one opportunity and freshman guard AJ Monterossi (Beaverton, Ore.) added on with a steal and layup to extend the advantage.
Later in the first stanza, Carter nailed back-to-back buckets en route to giving the Navy and Gold a 12-point lead.
New Hope remained in the contest though thanks to a number of three-point shots, but by the halftime intermission, the Warriors led, 49-38. Corban shot 50.0% from the field during the first 20 minutes, while the Deacons shot just 32.4%. Corban also excelled at the free-throw stripe, making 14-of-15 during the first half.
In the second stanza, New Hope (0-5) went on a run and cut into Corban’s advantage on a number of occasions, ultimately pulling to within three points at the 11:05 mark, but that is when the Warriors flipped the switch and started playing at another level, scoring 20 unanswered points to take an 86-63 advantage with 5:16 remaining. Sophomore guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) capped off the run with a fast-break layup off an assist from sophomore guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.). For the evening, Corban racked up 12 fast-break points.
From that point on, the Warriors played stifling defense while continuing to attack the hoop offensively. Junior forward Jeremiah Harris (Portland, Ore.) finished the night off for Corban in exciting fashion when he threw down an emphatic dunk over a Deacon defender, sending the crowd into a frenzy as the Warriors walked off the court with a 25-point season-opening victory.
Watch the Dunk Here.
One of the areas the Warriors dominated was points in the paint, as Corban held the 60-20 advantage in the category. Both Ward and Crowe were big in that department for the Navy and Gold, with Ward registering a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Crowe tallied 13 points and hauled in 11 boards. Ward led all scorers on the evening and proved to be extremely efficient from the field, shooting 9-for-13 overall.
Also contributing in double-figures was Carter with 23 points on an 8-for-13 shooting effort, including going 4-for-6 from downtown. In addition, Roth was the fourth Warrior player in double-figures with 16 points while also dishing out a team-best four assists.
Complementing those efforts were Harris and Herzberg off the bench, as Harris scored nine points and registered nine rebounds, while Herzberg was efficient and went 4-for-6 for eight points on the night.
Following the triumph, Harris talked about the great team effort in a post-game interview.
As a team, the Warriors shot 56.3% from the field and 33.3% from downtown, while the Deacons shot just 36.2% overall and 31.6% from beyond the arc. Corban also held the charity-stripe advantage with an overall clip of 85.2% (23-for-27), while New Hope went 12-for-16 for 75.0%.
The Warriors (1-0) return to the court on Saturday when they take on Simpson University in Redding, Calif. Tipoff is scheduled for 10 a.m.