Corban honored its five seniors prior to the start of Saturday night's game in a senior ceremony.
SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University men's basketball team once again battled against a top-25 team to the very end, but the Warriors fell short on Senior Night to No. 15-ranked Warner Pacific, 70-68. The win gives the Knights the season sweep of the Warriors.
"I couldn't be more proud of our guys tonight," said Corban head coach Austin Johnson. "They battled through a lot to give themselves a chance late to win against a very good Warner Pacific team. It was just a night where the shots weren't falling, but I can't ask for anything more from this group – they bring it every night. A big thanks to our incredible crowd, as you all were amazing once again. We'll regroup and prepare for Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech."
Prior to the start of the game on Saturday, Jake Love, Chris Martin, Andrew Evans, Caleb Dozier and AJ Monterossi were all honored in a pregame senior night ceremony.
Of Corban's (14-11, 8-9 CCC) nine Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) losses, seven of them have been by three points or less. Overall, the Warriors are 0-8 in games decided by three points or less.
A very defensive first half saw neither team find any kind of offensive rhythm, and at the break, it was all tied up at 25-25.
The second half was a different story, however, as both teams got the offense rolling, scoring on a much more consistent basis. Back and forth the teams went, and a three-pointer by Chris Martin with two minutes remaining put the Warriors up by one point, 62-61.
The Knights (18-7, 12-4 CCC) responded, however, regaining a 66-62 lead and never relinquished the advantage, holding on for the two-point road win.
Xavier Cannefax led the way with 26 points in the triumph for Warner Pacific, while Collin Malcolm totaled 22 points and 10 boards. As a team, the Knights shot 46.0% from the floor.
For Corban, Monterossi led the Warriors with 22 points on a 10-for-18 shooting mark, while Martin tallied 15 points and Joel Johnson contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds. Additionally, Dozier totaled eight points and 11 rebounds in his last ever home regular-season contest. As a team, the Warriors shot only 40.3% from the field and just 3-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Corban heads to the road for its final three games of the regular season, first taking on Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech next Saturday and Sunday. Tipoffs both days are slated for 6:30 p.m. start times.