BOX SCORE
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Five different Warriors scored in double figures led by senior
Ben Potloff's
(Keizer, Ore.) 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field that included a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the three-point line, but it was not enough as Corban's men's basketball team fell to the NAIA's No. 26-ranked Geoducks of The Evergreen State College, 93-84, Saturday night inside the Greenhouse.
Following tonight's result, Corban falls to 6-16 overall and 1-10 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. Meanwhile, Evergreen remains in a two-way tie atop the league standings and improves to 16-5 overall and 9-2 in conference play.
Potloff, who has led the Warriors in scoring in four of the past five games, was aided scoring-wise by a quartet of teammates that included sophomore
Erik Cronrath (Battle Ground, Wash.), junior
Nash Keene (Aumsville, Ore.), junior
Ian Logan (Aloha, Ore.), and sophomore
Jake Mauermann (Clackamas, Ore.). Cronrath ended the night with 19 points, while Keene (13), Logan (11), and Mauermann (11) were a combined 12-for-26 from the field. Logan pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, while Keene dished out a team-leading four assists.
After scoring the game's opening points via a three-pointer by Potloff, Corban watched as Evergreen used a 10-0 run to secure a seven-point advantage (10-3) following a field goal by two-time conference Player of the Year Nathan Menefee with 17:44 left. Over the next 13-plus minutes, Corban would use a 34-27 run to knot things at 37-all thanks to a free throw by sophomore
Brelin Powell (Boise, Idaho) with 5:01 on the clock. The final five-plus minutes would belong to Evergreen, as the host Geoducks would use a closing 13-5 run en route to securing an eight-point lead (50-42) at halftime.
In the second half, Corban would pull to within four points (64-60) thanks to an opening 18-14 run that concluded on a Keene three-pointer with 14:18 left in the game. The visiting Warriors would get as close as four points (75-71) another time during the final half, as Mauermann canned a three-pointer with 6:18 on the clock. Unfortunately, Corban would not get any closer as Evergreen continued to increase its lead over the final six-plus minutes to as much as nine points (93-84) at the final buzzer.
Evergreen was led in scoring by Josh Troyer, who tallied a game-high 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field that included a 5-for-7 performance from beyond the three-point arc. The Geoducks also had three other players in double figures, as Menefee, Tyrell Dixon, and Anthony Gallagher added 22, 11, and 10 points respectively. Gallagher and Julio Feliciano pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds, while Feliciano handed out a game-high eight assists.
As a team, Corban shot 29-for-67 (43.3%) from the field to go along with an 11-for-20 (55.0%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a 15-for-20 (75.0%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Evergreen was 35-for-64 (54.7%) from the field, 12-for-24 (50.0%) from long distance, and 11-for-16 (68.8%) at the charity stripe.
Corban will return to the hardwood on Friday, January 29th, against the Raiders of Southern Oregon beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem.