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Morris nets career-high in loss to Hustlin' Owls of OIT
December 2, 2006
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Senior Nate Morris (pictured left) scored a career-high 15 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field, but Corban could not overcome the hot-shooting Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Tech tonight. (Photo courtesy of William Scott Photography) |
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -
Senior Nate Morris (Dufur, Ore.) scored a career-high 15 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field, but Corban's men's basketball watched as head coach Danny Miles notched career win #799 via a victory by the NAIA's No. 4-ranked Oregon Tech, 100-71, on Saturday.
Prior to tonight's game, Morris had turned in a career-high performance of 13 points against NCAA Division III member George Fox on November 17th in Newberg. Before beginning his fourth and final season in a Warrior uniform, Morris had scored in double figures only one other time versus Bethany (11/19/05). Over Corban's first ten games, Morris has accumulated three double-digit scoring nights with his other coming last week against Frontier Conference member Montana State University-Northern.
Besides Morris, sophomore Wade Douglas (Ontario, Ore.) made his first appearance in the starting lineup since suffering a concussion at Linfield on November 21st. In 29 minutes of action, the 6-foot-5 transfer went 7-for-17 from the field and scored a team-high 17 points to go along with 3 rebounds.
Oregon Tech's Ryan Fiegi, brother of former Corban All-American Eric Fiegi, scored the game's first bucket via a lay-up 39 seconds into the contest and the Hustlin' Owls never looked back. The Warriors allowed OIT to score the first nine points before Corban got on the board via a jumper by sophomore Jason Braun (Dallas, Ore.). OIT grabs its largest lead of the opening half (52-26) when Levell Hesia made a pair of free throws before Morris ended the frame with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring the visiting Warriors within 21 (52-31) at intermission.
OIT quickly pushed its lead to 32 (71-39) thanks to a 3-pointer by Danny Mills with 13:56 remaining in the game. Corban got as close as 24 (71-47) following a pair of free throws by Braun with 11:34 left before the host Owls continued the hot shooting and went up by 35 (96-61) thanks to a Joel Matchett bomb from long distance with 3:57 remaining. The Warriors trimmed the lead to 25 (96-71) when Morris registered Corban's final three points of the night via his third and final shot from beyond the arc.
Besides Douglas and Morris' double-digit performances, Braun added 10 points on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting from the field and an identically perfect 6-for-6 showing at the free throw line. Sophomore Jason Klontz (Redmond, Ore.) and junior Hannes Gehring (Lake Oswego, Ore.) chipped in with 9 points each, while junior J.D. Hill (Lebanon, Ore.) added 5 points and grabbed a team-leading 5 rebounds.
As a team, Corban shot 24-for-56 (42.9%) from the field, including 18-for-25 (72.0%) from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech shot 37-for-67 (55.2%) from the field, including 14-for-16 (87.5%) from the free throw line. Both teams combined to shot 17-for-44 (38.6%) from beyond the 3-point line, as Corban canned five shots from beyond the arc and OIT struck for 12 bombs from long distance.
Oregon Tech was led by Josh Garrett's game-high 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field, while Fiegi and Hesia added 18 and 13 points respectively. Mills added 9 points and a game-high 8 rebounds, while Alan Johnson poured in 11 points off the bench for the Hustlin' Owls.
With the loss, Corban drops to 1-9 overall, 0-2 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech remains unbeaten at 11-0 overall, 2-0 in CCC action. The Warriors return to the court on Tuesday, December 5th, when they take a break from conference play and host NCAA Division II member Western Oregon beginning at 7:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
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