SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University men's basketball team registered its first victory over a ranked opponent this season with an upset win over No. 16 Warner Pacific, 75-57, on Saturday night. Warner Pacific (20-6, 10-4 CCC) started the game on an 8-1 run in the opening three minutes of the contest thanks to some shooting from beyond the arc. The Warriors, however, eventually solved the Knights' zone defense and reeled off a 17-0 run over the next six minutes to take an 18-8 lead with 9:52 left in the opening stanza.
After a Warner Pacific three-pointer, Corban answered with back-to-back jumpers from beyond the arc to take a 24-11 lead, as both sophomore guard Taylor Fox and Carter found openings in the Knights' extended zone defense. With 3:22 remaining in the opening half, Carter found freshman guard AJ Monterossi on the fast break for the layup to give the Warriors their largest lead (35-16) of the first half. The Knights managed to end the frame on a 12-2 run to cut Corban's lead to nine (37-28) at intermission.
Corban shot a blistering 65.2% (15-for-23) from the field in the first 20 minutes, while Warner Pacific launched a 40.0% (10-for-25) clip. Both teams were hot from downtown, as the two squads combined for 11 three's in the half. Carter led the way for Corban with 10 points, while junior guard Earl Jones paced the Knights with seven points.
Warner Pacific opened the second half much like it started the game, is it drilled six of its first nine shots to cut Corban's halftime lead to just two (44-42) with 14 minutes remaining in regulation. However, the Knights' run was short-lived, as Carter responded with a pair of unanswered three's from deep to initiate a 14-4 run to claim a 58-46 lead with just under seven minutes left to play.
After a Warner Pacific bucket, Corban made 4-of-6 free throws to take a 62-48 advantage with 4:08 on the clock. One last rally attempt by the Knights saw an explosive jam by senior forward Doug Thomas to slice the Warriors' lead to 10 (63-53), but Warner Pacific forgot all about Carter on the other end, as he responded with a layup with just 2:37 remaining in regulation. In the final seconds of the contest, Roth made five of Corban's final seven free throws to pull off the 75-57 upset victory.
Jones directed the Knights' offense with 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting, while senior guard Ryan Parks came off the bench to score 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers for Warner Pacific.
Story Courtesy of Corban Sports Information
