Park University (AZ)

With as many new faces as the Park University Gilbert men's basketball team has, it could be expected that they would be a little rusty in their season debut. That was the case on day one of the Taco Bell Shootout as the Buccaneers fell to Corban University, 82-52.

The Buccaneers' only lead of the game was 2-0 before the Warriors went on a 35-8 run and ended the half up 21 points. The Bucs cut into the lead a little bit at the top of the second half; they whittled it down to 15 with a jumper by Tyson Beringer Jr., but the run was short lived.

The Warriors, who went 15-3 last season, retook control of the game's pace and extended their lead to as many as 31 points. The Buccaneers struggled to generate any real offense or slow down the Warriors throughout the game; the Bucs shot just 33.3% from the field compared to the Warriors 50% outing.

As all of the Bucs' new transfers try to get on the same page, they turned the ball over 21 times, which the Warriors turned into 34 points. The Bucs' bench also struggled to find any rhythm as they shot a combined 4-19.

Of the 11 Buccaneers who hit the floor, seven made their Park University Gilbert debuts. Among them was the backcourt duo of Kelton Williams and Jacob Bingham, who transferred to Park Gilbert together after playing together at Pacific Lutheran.

Williams led the team in minutes (30) and assists (3); the 5-8 floor general also added 11 points and six boards in the effort. The sharpshooting Bingham knocked down four of his eight three pointers and accounted for a team-leading 14 points and two steals. The game also saw Beringer Jr. flirt with a double-double (eight points, nine rebounds) in 26 minutes of play; the 6-10 center also blocked six shots.

The Buccaneers have a quick turnaround before they face College of Idaho tomorrow in the second and final day of the Taco Bell Shootout. That game will be played at C of I's gymnasium in Caldwell, Idaho with tipoff slated for 7 p.m.

Game Notes:

• After missing most of last season, Beringer Jr. played the most minutes he had since Feb. 16, 2020 against Antelope Valley.

• Six blocks was the second best single-game total for Beringer Jr. at Park Gilbert, behind 10 vs McPherson College (12/15/19).

• In addition to Williams and Bingham, other Park Gilbert debuts included Erik Palmer, Trail Bates, DJ McNeal, Dante Aganmwonyi and Craig Mueller.

• The Bucs outrebounded the Warriors 39-38 and 13-10 on the offensive glass, led by Beringer Jr.'s nine total boards.