Quartet Leads Corban to Exhibition Win Over Australian Stars

12/5/2012 9:38:16 PM

BOX SCORE

SALEM, Ore. – Four Warriors scored in double figures led by Jacob Kopra, as Corban University's men's basketball team defeated the Australian Stars, 88-77, Wednesday in an exhibition game inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

Since this was an exhibition contest against college-aged players from Australia, the win does not count on Corban's overall record.

Along with Kopra, Cyrus Ward added a career-high 16 points off the bench to go along with a pair of 13-point performances by Marcus Butler and Dustin Moore. Josiah Sebens grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Warriors, while Andrew Evans handed out a game-high seven assists in the victory.

Corban would begin the game earning a quick three-point lead (7-4) on a lay-in by Kent Foster with 16:09 on the clock. The visiting Stars would use a 4-0 run to take a slim one-point lead (8-7) before the Warriors stormed back with an 8-3 run to pull ahead by five points (15-10) on a Ward lay-in with 11:42 remaining. A 6-0 run by the Stars would give the visiting team the lead once again (16-15) before Corban used a 12-5 run to take a slim two-point lead (23-21) on a jumper in the paint by Moore with just under seven minutes left. After a Tim Smyth lay-in for the Stars tied the score at 23-23, Corban used a 10-0 run to pull ahead by double digits (33-23) when Kopra ended the run with five straight points on a lay-in and a three-pointer at the 4:16 mark. Both teams would close out the half scoring 11 points each, as Corban settled for a 10-point lead (44-34) at halftime.

The second half would see Corban push its lead to 15 points (52-37) on a free throw by Butler with exactly 16 minutes remaining in the game. Over the next four-plus minutes, the host Warriors would push their lead to a game-high 17 points (61-44) thanks to a three-pointer by Taylor Fox with 11:51 on the clock. The visiting Stars would then use a 17-5 run over the next four minutes to get within five points (66-61) on a three-pointer by James Alexander with 7:06 left. Corban would continue to hold a five-point lead for the remainder of the game, as the Warriors scored the game's final five points en route to the final margin of 11 points (88-77).

Smyth would lead the Australian Stars with 14 points, while four other players – Kyle Home-Tipene, Luke Ryan, Matt Williams, and David James – also scored in double figures with 12, 12, 10, and 10  points, respectively. On the boards, James grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go along with a six-assist effort by Hamish Staude.

As a team, Corban combined to shoot 29-for-68 (42.6%) from the field that included a 7-for-19 (36.8%) showing from beyond the three-point line and a 23-for-28 (82.1%) performance at the free throw line. On the other hand, the visiting Stars were a combined 30-for-71 (42.3%) from the field, 6-of-24 (25.0%) from long distance, and 11-of-20 (55.0%) at the charity stripe.

Corban will return to action on Friday, December 7th, against NCAA Division III member George Fox beginning at 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem. Meanwhile, the Australian Stars will play three more games in Oregon against Multnomah Bible College, Reed College, and Portland Bible College before heading home.