Mid Valley Reporter

Lockdown Defense and Three-Point Shooting Leads RV Warriors Men’s Basketball to Road Win Against Eagles

Consistent defense combined with high-efficiency shooting from beyond the three-point line led the (RV) Corban University Men's Basketball team (9-3, 5-1) to an impressive road win against the Northwest University Eagles (6-6, 3-3), who battled their way to a 92-76 victory at Kristi Brodin Pavilion.

"Tonight was a big win for our program, we had some guys really step up and play well," Corban Head Coach Taylor Kelly shared following his team's performance on the penultimate evening of the 2022 year.

"James did a great job of rebounding and defending, and Josiah provided a big spark for us off the bench. Mateo was really hard to guard all night, which boosted us on both ends of the court. I'm proud of our guys and how they rallied together," Kelly went on to say.

Down one of their highest scoring contributors tonight, the Warriors needed their bench to bring their A-games against a tough Northwest squad that was once tied at the top of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings.

The Eagles took advantage of the new starting lineup for Corban early, establishing an early lead with their speed under the basket and offensive rebounding. The Warriors were able to stay within striking distance but failed to flip the lead on multiple occasions as they neared the midway point of the first half.

Little by little, Corban was able to eat away at the Northwest lead, eventually taking a 30-28 lead late in the first half on a pullup jumper from junior guard Collin Warmouth. The Warriors were able to clean up the early turnovers to shoot 59% from the field in the first half, with the Eagles in hot pursuit at 55% thus far.

With the offense and defense both struggling, Coach Kelly looked to junior guard Josiah Roth to come off the bench and provide some much-needed support offensively, where he found just that in the 6'4 Salem native. Roth provided six points in just a few minutes of court time, including a vicious slam dunk just moments before the first half came to a close.

Senior guard Mateo Escheik played the focal point of the Warriors' offense throughout the first half, scoring a team-high eight points and adding a pair of rebounds as Corban took a six-point lead into the locker room after a shaky opening portion to the contest. Eagles' guard Drew Bryson led all student-athletes with 13 points through the first 20 minutes of action.

Corban looked to stretch their lead early in the second half if they wanted to establish momentum and pace of play, which they were able to manifest with the help of perimeter shooting from their group of experienced guards. The Navy and Gold hitting 50% of their three-pointers up to this point in the contest amassed to a double-digit advantage.

Unfortunately for Warrior Nation, the Eagles decided to turn this into a classic three-point contest as well, which kept Northwest within striking distance due to their 46% consistency from beyond the arc. Back-and-forth the two squads jacked up three-point attempts, with the lead maintaining in the Warriors' hands throughout the high scoring affair.

NU was able to pull within two possessions at 73-67 with less than eight minutes remaining in the contest, but back-to-back offensive plays that resulted in fouls being drawn and free throws being converted gave Corban their double-digit lead once again. However, the Eagles refused to go away without a fight, as they pulled within single-digits with 4:46 on the clock on yet another three-pointer, this time from forward Lewis Pope who reached double-digit scoring on the play.

Northwest continued to fight on their home floor, but Corban battled through the adversity by hitting their free throws, making key stops on the defensive end, and knocking down crucial shots down the stretch to fend off the Eagles second half rallies one after another. The second chance opportunities also fueled the Warriors to victory, as the Navy and Gold outscored the Eagles 13-0 in the second half when granted a second chance at the rim.

Connecting on more three-pointers and free throws ultimately wrote the Warriors their road victory, as the hometown Eagles outshot Corban from a percentage basis on overall field goals, 57% compared to the Warriors' 55%.

The Warriors found success on the defensive end of the floor just as much as the offensive end, as Corban forced 26 turnovers from Northwest to write their own destiny. Eight extra points off Eagles' miscues provided the Navy and Gold with the distance necessary to force NU into uncomfortable situations, despite performing just as well offensively.

Escheik completed his dominant evening with a team-high in points scored with 21, a new season-high for the Dallas, Texas native. He fell just a four points of his career-high mark from the 2021-22 season, adding six rebounds and a game-high four steals.

Junior guard Taylor Anderson, senior guard Masie Mohammadi, and senior forward James Carlson all added 10 points apiece, with Carlson tallying six boards and a trio of assists along the way.

Bryson was the leading scorer with 24 points tonight, adding four rebounds of his own as well. Northwest guard Joose Lee dropped 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while Pope was the closest student-athlete to a double-double with 10 points and seven boards.

The RV Warriors are back at it tomorrow evening once again, as they look to battle The Evergreen State College Geoducks (1-8, 1-5) in yet another CCC contest, with tipoff set for 5pm PST.

 Original source can be found here