Corban Men’s Basketball Wins ‘Battle for Salem’ in 76-67 Triumph over Willamette

12/6/2018 10:55:00 PM

Danny Day, Assistant Athletic Director - External Operations

SALEM, Ore. – Back at home for the first time in over a month, the Corban University men's basketball team used a 50-point second half to come from behind and claim the 'Battle for Salem' title, defeating Willamette University on Thursday evening, 76-67. The victory marks the fifth-straight win for the Warriors against the Bearcats, dating back to the 2014-15 season.

CLICK the 'PLAY BUTTON' on the photo above to watch the video highlights from the game.

"It was great to be back at home, but it was a tough first half, said Corban head men's basketball coach Mitch Freeman. "We were able to get some good looks, but just couldn't convert. I thought our defense kept us in the game and gave us a chance. In the second half, we were able to go inside and out and find some rhythm shots early."

The Warrior offense struggled to string together a run in the early going, shooting 28.6% from the field as a team in the first half and trailing Willamette by a 34-26 margin at the half.

The second-half narrative was exactly the opposite for Freeman and his squad, with the Corban offense exploding for 50 points while shooting 67.8% from the floor. Corban also got to the free-throw line consistently in the final 20 minutes, going 8-for-10 from the charity stripe to help close out the victory.

It was a late run that sealed it, as after the Warriors took the lead midway through the second stanza, the Bearcats hung around and kept things close, but a push to the finish line was capped by a thunderous dunk from Joel Johnson, lifting the Navy and Gold to the triumph.

Leading the way in the victory was AJ Hodges with 19 points on an 8-for-18 shooting mark, while he also grabbed four boards and three assists.

CLICK HERE to watch his post-game interview.

Jaxon Hughes provided a lift off the bench for Corban, scoring 11 points while shooting 4-for-9 from the floor with a pair of successful long-range efforts.

Both Johnson and Beau Roggenbach were effective down low, with Johnson scoring 10 points on a 5-for-6 shooting mark and Roggenbach also tallying 10 points while hauling in a game-high 18 rebounds.

For Willamette (0-7) in the defeat, Jordan Jenkins went 8-for-14 from the field for a team-best 20 points, while Trent Callan totaled 14 points in the loss.

The Warriors (9-2, 0-1 CCC) will be back in action on Saturday, with the Navy and Gold set to travel to Monmouth, Ore. to compete in an exhibition contest against NCAA Division 2 foe, Western Oregon University. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.