Allen, Meyer carry Raiders past Corban
SOU Sports Information
ASHLAND – Tez Allen and Josh Meyer willed Southern Oregon past a red-hot Corban squad with 30 combined second-half points in an 87-82 win Saturday night at Lithia Motors Pavilion, the Raiders' third straight in Cascade Conference play.
Allen flirted with a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. The junior from Carson City, Nev., hit a career-high five 3-pointers, including three in the second half to help SOU erase what had been a 12-point deficit.
With 1 minute 20 seconds left to play, Allen's step-back 3 from the left wing broke an 80-all tie and gave the Raiders the lead for good, helping them improve to 3-2.
The Warriors, who'd won 10 of their last 11, dipped to 10-3 and 5-2 in the CCC on a night when guard Kendall Moore scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
Meyer, a junior forward from Seattle, Wash., heated up with 17 of his 24 points in the second half on 6-of-8 shooting. He also pulled down seven rebounds, and with 20 seconds left in a one-point game hit both ends of a one-and-one opportunity at the line. After the Raiders got one final stop, Jake Virga hit two more free throws to seal it.
Virga registered 14 points, had five assists and two steals, and shot 3-of-5 from 3. The Raiders were hot up and down the lineup beyond the arc with a 13-of-27 mark collectively. Josh Washington did most of their damage inside with 11 points on five dunks and eight rebounds.
They led 19-13 early before Corban put them on their heels with a 15-1 run. The Warrior lead expanded to 12 and was at 10 before Allen hit a 3 at the first-half buzzer.
Corban was up 67-59 with 9:21 to go when Allen got the Raiders back in it with another 3 followed by a steal that led to his transition layup. With 4:51 left, Meyer's 3-pointer from the top gave the Raiders their first lead of the half at 77-75.
Raider freshman guards Elijah Jackson and Mason Whittaker contributed seven points and two assists apiece.
Moore was the only player in double figures for the Warriors, though Dirk Helaire II chipped in nine points and four assists off the bench.
The teams will match up again at 2 p.m. Sunday.