meyer
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo.
94
Winner Southern Oregon SOU-M 7-4, 1-0 CCC
88
Corban University CRB 7-4, 0-1 CCC
Winner
Southern Oregon SOU-M
7-4, 1-0 CCC
94
Final
88
Corban University CRB
7-4, 0-1 CCC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Southern Oregon SOU-M 48 46 94
Corban University CRB 41 47 88

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | SOU Sports Information

Raiders start hot, finish strong to hold off Warriors

SALEM – As Southern Oregon is finding out, shot-making has a way of hiding other deficiencies on the basketball court.

The Raiders are not without theirs, but they knocked down their first eight 3-point attempts, setting a school record for consecutive makes, and did enough down the stretch to nail down a 94-88 win over the Corban Warriors on Friday night at the C.E. Jeffers Center.

Coming off a couple nonleague losses, the Raiders (7-4 overall, 1-0 CCC) restored their confidence early in the Cascade Conference opener for both teams. Ben DeSaulnier scored 20 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, connecting on his first four 3-pointers and helping SOU race out to a 29-19 lead nine minutes into the game.

The Raiders went 10-of-14 from 3-point range in the first half and 1-of-6 in the second. The Warriors (7-4, 0-1) kept pace, though, with their own 8-for-21 display. SOU never trailed after the first three minutes of the game, but its lead was down to one, 63-62, with 11 minutes left to play.

Kenny Meyer helped keep it in the Raiders' hands with 14 of his career-high 21 points in the second half, including a perfect 10-of-10 mark from the free-throw line. Tristen Holmes joined DeSaulnier and Meyer in the backcourt with clutch contributions, scoring all seven of his points in the second half and finishing with a career-high 11 rebounds and nine assists.

That trio kept the Raiders afloat even as three of their posts – Hunter Bradford, Tate Hoffman and Jason Simmrin – fouled out.

Up 81-80 with 2:50 remaining, Meyer cashed in on a pair of free throws. After Jordan Hunt's block on the other end, Holmes found Meyer cutting into the paint for a floater that made it 85-80 with 2:30 left. Meyer hit four straight free throws in the final minute and Conor Carroll added a pair to clinch the victory.

The Raiders have won seven consecutive CCC-opening games. Of their last six meetings with Corban, two have gone to overtime and three have been decided by six points or less. The exception was Corban's 90-74 home win last year in the regular-season finale, its only win during that stretch, which cost SOU a share of the CCC title.

Prior to fouling out, Hoffman poured in three 3-pointers and 14 points. Bradford, in his first appearance since missing seven games due to injury, made an immediate impact with nine points and four rebounds off the bench, while Simmrin added seven points, five rebounds and three steals.

The Raiders shot 51 percent from the floor (31-of-61) and made 21 of 25 free throws.

Their struggles defending inside persisted, however: Corban scored 40 points in the paint behind Jake Love's 19 and Joel Johnson's 17. AJ Monterossi, an All-CCC point guard, had 21 points and five assists.

SOU plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at 13th-ranked Northwest Christian. The Beacons overcame what was a 13-point deficit midway through the second half Friday to defeat Oregon Tech, 65-64.
 
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