Freshman Duo Helps Corban Beat Division-III Pacific

(FOREST GROVE, Ore) - Corban's men's basketball team neutralized a hot Pacific start with steady shooting from the three-point and free throw lines Saturday night, as the visiting Warriors downed the Boxers, 96-89, at the Stoller Center.

The Warriors maintained their unblemished start to the season improving to 5-0 by shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range (10-30) and burying 28-of-36 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Pacific shot 52.2 percent from the field (35-67) and managed just 14-of-26 from the charity stripe and 5-of-23 from long range. Corban also out-rebounded Pacific, 40-33.

Junior Erik Cronrath (Battle Ground, Wash.) led six Corban players to score in double figures with 19 points on 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Freshman Jordan Carter (Salem, Ore.) added a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow freshman Josiah Sebens (Bellingham, Wash.) scored a career-high 14 points off the bench and senior Ian Logan (Aloha, Ore.) had 13. Corban finished shooting 47.5 percent from the field (29-for-61).

Adam McElwee led Pacific in scoring for the second straight night, putting in 21 points on 8-of-15 from the field. Colin Wester added 19 points, while LeMar Anglin returned from a shoulder injury to notch a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Pacific roared out of the gate to take an 8-0 lead two minutes into the game, but the Warriors charged right back to take an 11-10 lead at the 16:06 mark. The Boxers battled right back, going on an 11-2 run that culminated on Wester’s lay-in at the 14:25 mark to put the Boxers up 21-13.

Junior Jake Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.) responded with a three-pointer on the Warriors’ next possession that started a slow 20-6 run over the next eight minutes. A three-point play by Cronrath capped the run to put the Warriors ahead 33-27. Pacific managed to cut the lead to two on jumpers by Wester and Carson Bartlett, but the Warriors rode the back of Cronrath to build a 10-point lead at the half and went into the locker room with a 46-30 advantage.

Corban opened their lead up to 12 points early in the second half before the Boxers rallied to come within 54-47 on a McElwee jumper at the 17:30 mark. The Warriors stayed on the mark, building their lead back to 13 on Seben’s trey with 13:53 left. Corban eventually took their biggest lead of 16 points on a free throw by Carter with 5:56 left.

The Boxers made a valiant run for the lead late in the contest. Andrew Beatty’s jumper with 5:44 left sparked a 15-4 Pacific run over the next four minutes and Wester’s trey with 1:07 left brought the Boxers within five at 89-84. The Boxers found themselves needing to foul to gain possessions, however, and the Warriors sewed the game up by hitting 7-of-8 from the charity stripe the rest of the way.

With tonight's result, Corban improves to 5-0 overall and Pacific drops to 0-2 on its young season. The Warriors return to the court on Tuesday, November 23rd, against Northwest Conference member Linfield beginning at 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

Source: Corban University