OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Drayton Caoile of Corban University hit three free throws with one-half second left on the clock, as the Warriors defeated The Evergreen State College 72-70 on Sunday, Feb. 16 in Cascade Collegiate Conference men's basketball action. Zach Jefferson (Jr., G) had given the Geoducks a 70-69 lead when he connected on a jumper with 13.4 seconds remaining.

The win at the Costantino Recreation Center upped Corban's record to 14-12 on the season, 12-8 in the CCC. Evergreen dropped to 2-21 overall, 2-18 in the conference.

It was Senior Night for the Geoducks who honored seniors Nick Gutierrez (G), Jourdan Joseph (G), Daniel Thomas (G), and Caleb Washington (G).

The game was tied at 63-63 after Solomon Campbell (Jr., F) grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a layup for the Geoducks with 4:35 to play. Ben Krystkowiak of Corban sank a 3-pointer with 4:08 left to provide the Warriors with a 66-63 lead. Evergreen countered with a pair of free throws by Campbell at the 3:26 mark and one free throw from Joseph with 2:26 remaining to tie the game.

A driving layup by RJ Veliz with 1:21 on the clock gave Corban at 68-66 edge, but Jefferson scored on a pull-up jumper to tie the game with 1:00 left. Veliz made the first of two free throws with 29 seconds to play, as the Warriors moved in front 69-68. The go-ahead basket by Jefferson and the three free throws by Caoile concluded the game. Joseph missed a desperation 3-point attempt from mid-court as time expired.

Campbell was Evergreen's top scorer with 18 points to go along with five rebounds. He was 7 of 11 on field goals. Joseph produced 17 points and 10 assists for the Geoducks. Jefferson finished with 16 points, was 7 for 12 on field goals, and hauled down five boards. Garret Long (Jr., G/W) tacked on 10 points and blocked two shots.

Veliz led Corban with 17 points, while hitting 7 of 8 field goals, including two 3-pointers. He also earned five rebounds and five assists. Krystkowiak achieved 14 points and led all players with four 3-point baskets. Preston Sherburne accumulated 12 points and four rebounds. Caoile scored 10 points.

The Warriors held a 17-6 lead with 12:34 left in the first half following a jumper by Andrew Classen. Corban was in front 22-10 after Caoile made a 3-pointer with 9:42 on the clock. 

Evergreen trailed 32-21 with 4:46 remaining in the half, but the Geoducks finished strong, outscoring the Warriors 13-2 to end the period. The scoring surge featured seven points by Long. Corban led 37-34 at the intermission.

A layup by Campbell put Evergreen in front 40-39 with 17:38 to play in the game. The Warriors eventually grabbed a 51-43 lead at the 13:00 mark on a 3-pointer by Spivey Word. The Geoducks rallied with an 18-5 run for a 61-56 advantage after Campbell made a jump shot with 6:20 left. Corban earned the next five points to tie the score.

Evergreen hit 51.0% on field goals (26 of 51), while Corban shot 52.9% (27 of 51). The Warriors also made 11 three-pointers, while Evergreen converted four three-pointers. At the free throw line, Evergreen was 14 of 19 (73.7%) and the Warriors were 7 for 11 (63.6%). The Geoducks finished with a 29-24 rebounding edge. 

Up next for the Geoducks is a CCC game at College of Idaho on Friday, Feb. 21. The action is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. MST / 6:30 p.m. PST.


Men's Basketball Seniors for 2024-25 (L to R):  Caleb Washington, Nick Gutierrez, Daniel Thomas, Jourdan Joseph. Photo by Florentino Gutierrez.