SALEM, Ore. – The 2019-20 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) men's basketball season opener was a nail-biter, as Interstate-5 rivals Corban University and Northwest Christian clashed on Tuesday evening in a thriller at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
In a back-and-forth battle, the Beacons walked away with a one-point triumph, edging the No. 24-ranked Warriors by a final tally of 79-78.
"This was a competitive game that came down to a few possessions," said head coach Mitch Freeman. "Credit NCU on a hard-fought victory! They played a little harder than us. We must now move on quickly as we hit the road for games this weekend."
Neither team led by more than six at any point during the heated affair, as the lead changed hands 15 times by the final buzzer. Corban entered the locker room at halftime with a 40-37 advantage, despite going just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
The Beacons stormed out of the gates in the latter period, beginning the second half with an 11-3 run. Northwest Christian would remain in the lead for nearly 11 minutes, with Corban trailing until the 7:27 mark.
From there on out, the two squads traded blows for the remainder of the contest, with both teams looking for an opportunity to pull away in the final minutes.
It seemed only fitting that the contest would come down to the final possessions, as a steal from Logan Davis and breakaway layup by Logan Sand would give Northwest Christian the lead with just over 10 seconds left.
The Warriors drew up a play for the game's final moments, but Tyler Wadleigh's three-pointer rattled off the rim as time expired.
With the win, the Beacons have now claimed the rivalry bout in each of the two teams' past three meetings.
Kaden Sand was exceptional for Northwest Christian, rattling off 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 4-of-8 from downtown. He was the only Beacon to finish in double figures, while also leading the team with eight rebounds.
Five members of the Navy and Gold reached the double-digit plateau, led by Wadleigh's 16 points. Beau Roggenbach was next in line with 14 points, while Isiah Quintero, Taylor Anderson, and Mauricio Smith each finished with 10.
In addition, Quintero grabbed 12 boards, leading the team in the category and ending the night with a double-double.
The Warriors (6-4, 0-1 CCC) will have just two days off before returning to the court, traveling to Walla Walla to face the Wolves on back-to-back days this Friday and Saturday.