CORBAN 67, GEORGE FOX 56: Carter and Free Throws Sink Bruins as Warriors Get Split

NEWBERG, Ore. – Jordan Carter scored 28 points, 18 in the first half, and the visiting Corban University Warriors hit 22 of 24 free throws attempts to keep the host George Fox University Bruins at arm’s length for a 67-56 win and a split of their non-conference men’s basketball season series Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym.

George Fox, which had defeated Corban 68-64 in overtime in Salem back on Nov. 22, dropped to 2-5 with the setback.  Corban climbed over .500 to 7-6.

Jordan was a one-man wrecking crew for the Warriors in the first half, hitting 7-11 field goals, including a three-pointer, and 3-3 from the line.  A three by Dustin Moore and a layup by Carter got Corban off to a 5-0 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the game, and the Warriors never trailed. 

A Jake Mauermann three gave Corban a 15-9 lead midway through the half before the Bruins went on an 8-2 run to gain the only tie of the game.  Mike Taylor had all eight of the Bruins’ points in the run as he hit a pairs of threes around a fast-break layup, making it 17-17 with 8:19 to go.  A minute later, Erik Cronrath broke the tie with a layup, and Carter followed with a three and a layup for a 24-17 Corban advantage with 5:29 left.  A conventional three-point play by Carter gave Corban its biggest lead at 29-19 with three minutes left before the Warriors settled for a 31-25 halftime margin.

The Warriors opened the second half with a long-range bomb by Carter and a pair of free throws by both Cronrath and James Green, building their largest lead of the game at 38-25 with 16:31 remaining.  The lead fluctuated between 13 and seven points over the next 13 minutes before the Bruins got within six at 56-50 on a layup by Anthony Sanchez with 3:33 to play. 

Corban missed a three on its next possession and the Bruins had a chance to close within three points but missed a three of their own.  Cronrath then hit a rebound basket for an eight-point lead, but Corey Clark answered with a driving layup, and it was still a six-point game at 58-52 with 2:25 left.  Cronrath answered with a three-point play with just under two minutes to go that stuck a dagger in the Bruins’ comeback hopes, and the Warriors iced the game by hitting 6-6 from the line down the stretch.

Taylor tallied 23 points to lead the Bruins, who shot .385 (20-52) from the field, and Sean Atkins chipped in with 10 before fouling out.  Sanchez grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, Clark handed out five assists, and Atkins picked up four steals.

Carter finished with a 9-16 game from the field with a trio of threes and 7-7 from the line to pace the Warriors.  Cronrath added 16 points, including 8-9 from the stripe.  Corban shot .400 (20-50) from the floor and .917 (22-24) from the line, while also holding a 33-31 rebounding edge.  Moore had a team-high eight boards, and Carter and Josiah Sebens passed out three assists each.

NEXT: George Fox will play its sixth straight non-conference game against a team from the NAIA’s Cascade Collegiate Conference when the Bruins host Concordia University-Portland Saturday at 8:00 p.m.  The Bruin women host Chapman University in a 6:00 p.m. preliminary game … Corban returns home Saturday to take on William Jessup University at 7:30 p.m.