Junior forward Cyrus Ward led the Warriors in scoring for the fifth time this season. (Photo credit: Doug Pfeiler)
VALLEJO, Calif. – Behind a dominant second half and a game-high 24 points from junior forward Cyrus Ward (Gig Harbor, Wash.), the Corban University men’s basketball team topped California State University-Maritime, 82-56, on Sunday afternoon. The Warriors are off to their best start since the 2010-11 season.
Ward, who paced the team in scoring for the fifth time this season, shot 9-for-10 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. The Warrior backcourt was led by sophomore guard Toby Roth (Silverton, Ore.), as he registered 13 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in the winning affair.
A tight first half saw nine ties, seven lead changes, and a total of nine three pointers between the two teams. After sophomore guard Caleb Herzberg (Beaverton, Ore.) drilled a jumper from downtown to give the Warriors an 18-15 lead at the 11:53 mark, the Keelhaulers drained back-to-back three’s to take a 21-18 advantage.
The Navy and Gold (6-3, 0-1 CCC) trailed for the next five minutes before finally regaining the lead, 25-23, following a three-pointer by sophomore guard Taylor Fox (Astoria, Ore.) with 6:43 left in the first half. With both teams deadlocked at 30 apiece, senior guard Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) connected on a three-pointer, and then Roth made two free throws to give the Warriors a 35-30 halftime lead.
Corban finished 13-for-29 (44.8%) from the field in the first 20 minutes compared to an 11-for-27 (40.7%) clip by Cal-Maritime. The Warriors led at intermission for the sixth time this season.
The Warriors opened the second stanza on a 13-6 run capped by a jumper by freshman guard Kade Crossland (Buhl, Idaho) at the 13:06 mark. After Cal-Maritime pulled to within nine (50-41), Corban exploded for 17 unanswered points to claim a 67-41 lead with 7:29 remaining in the contest. With just over two minutes on the clock, Fox drained another three-pointer to give the Warriors their largest lead of the game, 80-51.
In addition to his 12 points, Carter notched a game-high eight rebounds and a team-high four assists. Herzberg came off the bench to tally 12 points on a 4-for-6 effort from beyond the arc, while junior forward Jeremiah Harris (Portland, Ore.) and Fox chipped in eight and six points, respectively.
"The guys played their most complete game of the season on both ends of the floor," stated head coach Steve Masten. "We held a pretty good offensive team to 56 points on 40 percent shooting from the field. We shot over 53 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free throw line. The most impressive stat was the 16-minute stretch that our defense held them to 11 points. It was a very good win for the Warriors."
Only one player scored in double figures for the Keelhaulers (6-7), as sophomore guard Michael Daily led the way with 12 points in just 14 minutes of action.
The Warriors shot a stifling 53.8% (28-for-52) from the field, making it the fourth time in the 2014-15 campaign they have shot 50 percent or higher. Corban dominated Cal-Maritime on the glass (31-21), and the Navy and Gold finished a perfect 16-for-16 from the charity stripe in the second half. Points off turnovers also proved key in the victory, as the Warriors scored 25 points compared to just nine by the Keelhaulers.
Corban returns to action on Dec. 19 against The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. at 7:30 p.m.