SALEM, Ore. – A furious last-minute comeback attempt by the visiting team was thwarted by the Corban University Men's Basketball program tonight on Tim Hills Court, as the Seattle Mountaineers club team had an opportunity to take the lead or send the game into overtime with one final possession but came up just short in a 92-90 win for the Navy and Gold in their only exhibition matchup of the season.
"Tonight was a good chance for our guys to get out and compete," Warriors' head coach Taylor Kelly stated shortly after their home victory. "We are stacking bricks every day to become the best group we can become, and tonight was a great example of how this team can come together to win basketball games."
It wasn't until the 14:29 mark in the first half before the Warriors (2-2) were able to grow a considerable lead on their home court over the Mountaineers (8-6), an advantage that grew to as many ten points before Seattle fought back to end the half with a 47-41 deficit entering the halftime break.
Mountaineers' center Kelvon Fuller was the dominant force in the opening half, which would eventually carry into the second half as well, scoring ten points and bringing down eight rebounds in just 15 minutes of play through the first twenty. Warriors' junior guard Aundree Polk was the game leader with 13 points at the half, while also dealing four assists to his teammates.
Slowly but surely, Seattle chipped away at the Corban lead over the course of the second half, eventually taking the lead with under five minutes to play via an and-one basket by Fuller. The Warriors and Mountaineers went shot-for-shot over the next several minutes before the Navy and Gold were the first to take a two-possession lead, as they led 92-88 with under one minute of action remaining.
A pair of free throws brought Seattle to within a single basket and even earned possession back due to free throw struggles by Corban, but back-to-back last second layups were missed that would have tied the contest and sent the Warrior Nation members in attendance to an overtime period entering the Thanksgiving break. However, senior guard Collin Warmouth made sure that didn't happen, as he swatted the final shot attempt out of contention that would eventually lead to his team's 92-90 exhibition victory.
Seattle was everywhere on the offensive glass to force their way back into this ballgame, outscoring the Warriors 23-4 in second chance opportunities, many of which came in the paint, which they also led in scoring, 46-38. Ten lead changes and two ties eventually led to Corban's two-point victory, but not without some pushback from the former collegiate/professional athletes who certainly proved they can still hang with any competition thrown at them.
Warriors' senior guard Taylor Anderson scored 20 points by connecting on 9-of-14 field goal attempts, earning five assists, and adding five rebounds in an all-around performance for the Grants Pass native. Coming off the bench today, Polk was right behind Anderson in scoring with 18 points but created a game-high eight assists with some sensational dishes around the key and the three-point arc.
As the Mountaineers' big man in the middle, Fuller was unstoppable in the post for Seattle, scoring a game-high 29 points and hauling in an absurd 20 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive in the only double-double performance of the evening. Guard Davon Bolton added 23 points with five three-pointers, while guard Kobe Powell scored 16 points, dealt out four assists, and gathered up six boards before fouling out late in the contest.
The Warriors will officially open Cascade Collegiate Conference play on Friday, December 1st in Portland, as they'll travel to Multnomah University (3-1, 1-0) for the first of two games just north of Corban's campus next weekend.
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