Joel Johnson finished with 22 points and 11 boards in the defeat. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – Sunday evening's face-off between the Corban University men's basketball team and Eastern Oregon University was a hotly-contested battle throughout, with the Mountaineers—on the back of a 41-point night from Jordan May—pulling away late to claim the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) triumph by a final score of 91-82.
"Jordan May was tough to stop tonight, he is a terrific scorer," said head coach Mitch Freeman. "We are a young basketball team and we are learning how to compete for 40 minutes. We were better in phases tonight."
May was undeniably dynamic, consistently knocking down tough shots to shift the momentum in the Mountaineers' favor. The sophomore guard from Troutdale, Ore. finished with a personal season-high of 41 points on 15-of-26 shooting (5-of-9 from three-point range), while also tallying five rebounds, four takeaways, and a pair of assists. May's teammate Landon Jones was the unsung hero in Eastern Oregon's victory, shooting 50% from the field and ending the night with 15 points.
For Corban, Joel Johnson led the way with a vintage performance in the tough-luck loss, earning a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks) and throwing down a handful of tremendous slams to ignite the Warrior crowd.
"Joel was great, distorting shots on the defensive end and finishing around the rim on the offensive end," added Freeman.
AJ Hodges and Beau Roggenbach each finished in double-digit scoring themselves, with Hodges notching 14 points and three assists, and Roggenbach finishing with 11 points and six boards.
As a team, the Navy and Gold shot at very respectable marks of 51.6% from the field and 36.4% from downtown. The Mountaineers (8-7, 3-1 CCC) managed to elevate their game to meet the challenge, however, shooting at a 47.7% clip from field-goal range and finishing the evening with an impressive 47.6% mark from beyond the arc.
With the loss, the Warriors' first CCC victory remains elusive, as Corban moves to 9-4 (0-3 CCC) on the year.
The Warriors' next opportunity will come on the other side of Christmas, with the Navy and Gold set to return to action on December 29 in a road contest against Northwest University. Tip-off in Kirkland, Wash. is slated for 7:30 p.m.