Comeback Thwarted Against Nationally-Ranked Owls

As a team, Corban shot 25-for-65 (38.5%) from the field including 8-for-25 (32.0%) from beyond the arc and 7-for-11 (63.6%) from the free throw line.

Salem-News.com

SALEM, Ore. - Despite a team-high 16 points from freshman Ian Logan (Aloha, Ore.) and 14 points off the bench by junior Wade Douglas (Ontario, Ore.), Corban's men's basketball team could not pull off the upset and fell to nationally-ranked Oregon Tech, 74-65, Friday inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

The host Warriors opened the game making their first two field goals -- a lay-up by senior Hannes Gehring (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and a jumper by Logan -- before Oregon Tech used a 19-0 run over a span of 5:48 to grab a 15-point advantage. Corban's scoreless drought came to an end when Douglas connected on a jumper with 12:32 remaining in the opening half only to have the Hustlin' Owls grab its largest lead of the opening twenty minutes (33-15) when Christian Cavanaugh scored on a lay-up with 5:35 on the clock. Corban began to whittle away at the lead and got within 11 points (35-24) following a jumper in the paint by junior Jason Braun (Dallas, Ore.) with 1:58 to go in the first half. Oregon Tech scored the half's final two points on a lay-up by Josh Wetzler with 82 ticks remaining on the clock en route to giving the Hustlin' Owls a 13-point half time lead (37-24).

In the second half, Corban allowed Oregon Tech to build a 14-point lead (49-35) before using a 13-2 run over a span of 3:43 that pulled the Warriors within three points (51-48) with 12:29 to go in the game following a three-pointer from senior Ben Sisler (Corvallis, Ore.). Unfortunately for Corban, OIT head coach Danny Miles brought his big three -- Cavanaugh, Wetzler, and Ryan Fiegi -- back in off the bench as the Hustlin' Owls pushed their lead back to double digits (65-52) with 7:38 remaining following a lay-up by Fiegi. The Warriors got back within seven points (69-62) with 4:35 to go in the contest after a jumper by Logan, but could not get any closer as OIT's Wetzler controlled the offensive glass with a pair of rebounds and put backs in just over a minute that gave Oregon Tech a commanding 11-point advantage (73-62) with 3:24 showing on the clock. A slow down offense by the Hustlin' Owls and untimely missed shots by Corban led the to the game's final outcome.

Along with Logan and Douglas, junior Kyle Masten (Salem, Ore.) added 10 points to go along with Gehring's nine and sophomore Paul Martin's (Beaverton, Ore.) season-high eight points. Gehring added a team-high nine rebounds, while Douglas and freshman Clay Martin (Beaverton, Ore.) pulled down four boards each.

For Oregon Tech, Cavanaugh notched a game-high 19 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field, while Wetzler and Fiegi added a pair of double-doubles with 14 points and a game-high 17 rebounds by Wetzler and 14 points and 11 rebounds (all defensive) by Fiegi.

As a team, Corban shot 25-for-65 (38.5%) from the field including 8-for-25 (32.0%) from beyond the arc and 7-for-11 (63.6%) from the free throw line. On the other hand, Oregon Tech turned in a 31-for-66 (47.0%) performance from the field that included 6-for-26 (23.1%) from three-point land and 6-for-15 (40.0%) from the charity stripe.

With the loss, Corban has its four-game winning streak snapped and drops to 6-8 overall, 1-3 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech extends its winning streak to four games and improves to 13-2 overall, 4-1 in CCC action. The Warriors will hit the hardwood again on Saturday, January 5th, when Corban hosts the Red Raiders of Southern Oregon beginning at 7:30 PM inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

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