SALEM, Ore. – Senior Ben Voogd scored a career-high 32 points and helped the Northwest Christian University men’s basketball team to a 70-65 win over conference rival Corban College on Friday night at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center for their ninth consecutive victory of the season. The Beacons overcame a twelve point deficit with 13 minutes left, forcing the Warriors into 11 second half turnovers and hitting clutch shots down the stretch to extend their winning streak and move to 9-2 (1-0 conference) for the season.
Corban’s Ian Logan came out on fire, scoring almost half the Warriors points at halftime. In the opening 20 minutes, Logan dropped 17 points, including three buckets from beyond the arc. Voogd answered with 14 of his own, getting in the lane and creating problems to keep the game close. Erik Quick-Warner, in his first game back since getting the H1N1 flu, came off the bench and knocked down two big shots in the first half. The Beacons closed the half on an 8-2 run, sending both teams to the locker room with Corban holding a 35-32 advantage.
“We came out a little flat to start the game,” said Associate Head Coach Mark Holmes. “We made some adjustments as the game went on, and our seniors stepped up down the stretch. When we can keep people in front of us, we’re tough to beat. It was good to hold a team that averages 91 per game to 65, but we still have some things to clean up on defense.”
In the second half, it was Voogd scoring at will and being a nuisance on defense that sparked the Beacons. To go with his 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, Voogd added four steals and five rebounds, in addition to scoring the team’s final eight points of the game. Junior Quentin Guidry also gave NCU a big boost in his second start of the season, sparking the team to an 11-0 run with nine minutes left to cut Corban’s lead to one. Guidry battled first half foul trouble to finish with 12 points and a team-high six rebounds, including four offensive boards. Michael Van Loon hit back-to-back three pointers in the second half and finished with 10 points. Andrew Miller had a solid all-around night, scoring seven points to go with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Sophomore David Vermilyea came off the bench to provide some energy on defense, coming through with a big block his first possession in the game.
“Ben and Quentin attacked the rim really well tonight,” said Head Coach Corey Anderson. “We had some great senior leadership. Erik has been sick all week and been limited in practice, but he came in and brought some good stability. Miller was big for us on defense, and Van Loon came through with some clutch threes when we really needed them. Our seniors were seniors tonight.”
Logan led Corban with 26 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 10-for-20 from the field. Ben Potloff was the only other Warrior in double-figures, adding 14 points. Corban was done in by 20 team turnovers despite outrebounding NCU 33-30. The loss drops the Warriors to 4-4 (0-1) on the season.
The Beacons return to action tonight for a non-conference contest at home against Pacific Lutheran University. The Lutes will be looking to earn their first win of the year, as they have opened up the season with an 0-4 start. Tip off at the Morse Event Center is set for 7:30 pm as the Beacons go for their tenth win in a row.