Survive And Advance! CBC Comes Back From Down 10 Late To Upset #4 Oklahoma Wesleyan!`

Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director

            Kansas City, Mo. – Playing in the Round of 16 for the first time in program history, the #14 seed Central Baptist College Mustang men's basketball team took on the #2 seed and #4 team in the nation, the Eagles of Oklahoma Wesleyan. CBC (28-6) overcame a 10-point deficit with 5:04 left to play to upset OWU (31-3), winning by a score of 84-79 to advance to the NAIA National Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon.

            "Oklahoma Wesleyan is a really good team," said head coach Sam Kohnke after the contest. "I'm happy my guys competed for 40 minutes because we got down and chipped away and it just showed our mental toughness. Whether we got a 16-seed, a 1-seed or what we got, a 14, it's just a number on a piece of paper. The game is played on the court and we have a bunch of dogs!"

            Wade Williams led the way with 20 points including 15 in the second half. Sage Borbon had 19, including 14 in the second half, while Deshawn Corprew had another double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Kyle Harding added 16 off the bench, including 13 in the first half. CBC won despite losing the rebounding battle, but did force 17 turnovers compared to committing just nine.

            "Deshawn is the best player in the NAIA if you ask me," added Kohnke. "Wade is such a beast and really everyone on the team, Sage, Kyle, Devin, Jonas, Savaughn, on the team makes it a real team,"

GAME FLOW

            The Mustangs trailed for the first 4:14 until a three by Harding gave CBC a 9-8 lead. Oklahoma Wesleyan would retake the lead at 19-16 with 12:04 left in the first half and pushed the Mustang deficit to 22-16 with 11:15 left in the half. Back-to-back threes by Harding on the next two possessions tied the score at 22 with 9:51 until the break and the teams would trade the lead one more time until a three by Corprew with 8:15 left in the half sparked a run to give the Mustangs a 32-25 lead, their largest of the game, with 6:08 left until halftime and CBC took a 36-35 lead into halftime.

            In the second half, CBC would hold the lead until the 15:02 mark when the Eagles captured a one point lead at 50-49. The Mustangs continued to fight and retook the lead courtesy of a Corprew jumper with 11:31 left to make it 55-54. The teams went back and forth with the lead again until OWU went ahead 58-57 with 10:27 left. The Eagles would hold the lead and extend it to 75-65 with 5:04 left when CBC begin their comeback. Corprew started it with a jumper to make it 75-67 and Harding followed with a three to make it 75-70 with 4:16 to go. A Savaughn Smith layup with 3:44 to play cut the deficit to 75-72 and a layup by Borbon cut the deficit to one with 3:23 left. A made basket by OWU with three minutes to play put them back up three before a steal and a layup by Borbon with 2:16 left made it 77-76. A pair of free throws by Corprew gave the lead back to the Mustangs at 78-77 with 1:26 left and back-to-back layups by Borbon and Jonas Carlisle put CBC ahead 82-77 with 34 seconds to go. A dunk with seven seconds left cut the lead to three before Borbon iced the game at the free throw line!

UP NEXT

            CBC renews a rivalry with former AMC foe and #1 seed in the Cramer Bracket, Freed-Hardeman on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off against the #5 Lions is scheduled for 1 p.m.