SALEM, Ore. – Mitchell Fink, the two-time Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Player of the Year, showcased his dynamic skillset in No. 12 Oregon Tech's 84-67 win over the Corban University men's basketball team on Friday evening. Fink led all players with 31 points, while his teammate Matt van Tassell registered a new career high with 23 points of his own.
"We had a tough time getting the ball under control, especially when Fink had the ball," said head coach Mitch Freeman. "We also had too many turnovers that led to easy baskets for them, which is hard to overcome against a quality opponent such as Oregon Tech."
The Warriors looked strong in the opening minutes, jumping out to an early 23-15 advantage after the tip. The Owls would close the first half on a stellar 22-4 run, however, capturing a 12-point advantage at the midway marker.
Van Tassell was crucial to the visitor's success, as he scored 20 of his 23 in the first 20 minutes—propelled by a perfect 5-of-5 effort from downtown.
From thereon out, Oregon Tech would remain in control, maintaining a double-digit lead for all but 11 seconds of the second half.
Fink added five assists and three boards to his impressive performance, and is now just 11 points away from eclipsing the 2,000-point mark in his illustrious career. Overshadowed by his teammates, Harrison Steiger (15 points, 7-of-9 FG) flew under the radar for head coach Justin Parnell.
Tyler Wadleigh served as a bright spot for Corban, coming off the bench to turn in a career night. Wadleigh racked up a career-best 21 points to lead the Warriors in scoring, while also pacing the squad in assists with four.
The sophomore guard seemingly couldn't miss, draining all but one (8-of-9 FG) of his shots from the field.
Overall, the Warriors shot at impressive marks (49% FG, 46.7% 3PT) in the defeat, but they couldn't keep pace with the Owls' (57.6% FG, 45% 3PT) hot-shooting trio of Fink, van Tassell, and Steiger, which combined to shoot over 65%.
The path won't get any easier for the Navy and Gold, who will face another NAIA top-15 foe tomorrow night. The Warriors (10-15, 4-11 CCC) will host No. 8-ranked Southern Oregon University at 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
"We will put this behind us quickly and move on to our next one," added Freeman. "Our guys are continuing to fight for each other!"