BOX SCORE

SALEM, Ore. – Freshman Katie Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) scored a game-high tying 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field, as Corban's women's basketball team posted a come-from-behind victory, 51-48, against the Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Tech Saturday evening inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

“Tonight was a big win for us, it feels great,” said tenth-year head coach Terry Williams. “We battled back at halftime and were able to pull it off. (Our defense was) able to stop their guards, as our goal coming into this game was to minimize the three-pointers and we did just that in the second half. That was the main difference.”

Thanks to tonight's win coupled with a Northwest loss to Warner Pacific in Kirkland, Washington, Corban is heading back to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus as the No. 6 seed and will travel south to Ashland on Tuesday, February 24th, to take on the No. 3-seeded Raiders of Southern Oregon beginning at 7:30 p.m. inside McNeal Pavilion.

In tonight's game, things were not looking so good for the host Warriors over the opening six-plus minutes as Oregon Tech quickly jumped out to a seven-point lead (14-7) following an Amanda Johnston jumper with 13:16 remaining in the first half. Corban would battle back to within a mere point (23-22) thanks to a 16-8 run over a span of seven minutes and 33 seconds, as senior Kailey Bostwick (Medford, Ore.) connected on a lay-in with just under five minutes left. Over the final five-plus minutes, Oregon Tech used a closing 8-0 run en route to grabbing a nine-point advantage (31-22) at the half.

The visiting Hustlin' Owls quickly built their lead to double digits (32-22) following a free throw by Johnston 32 seconds into the second half. Corban would battle back using the strength of sophomore Jennesa Miller (Mica, Wash.), who scored seven straight points within a span of 60 seconds and single-handedly brought the Warriors within a single point (32-31). The Warriors would gain their first lead since the score was 7-6 with 14:40 showing on the first half clock via an 8-6 run that was capped off with a Steigleman jumper as the clock read 11:38. Oregon Tech would answer the Warriors' run with an 8-0 run of its own that included three-pointers by Lisa Busch and Kelsey New. Clinging to a seven-point advantage (48-41) with 5:25 left, Oregon Tech went ice cold and watched Corban use a game-closing 10-0 run as three different Warriors scored en route to securing the three-point come-from-behind win (51-48).

Steigleman was aided scoring-wise by Miller with nine and freshman Becky Buhler's (Clackamas, Ore.) eight points. On the boards, Steigleman grabbed a team-best eight rebounds to go along with senior Ashley Connell's (Spokane, Wash.) game-high tying four assists.

In their final home game in a Warrior uniform, Bostwick and Connell combined for 12 points, 7 rebounds, six assists, and one steal in a combined 65 minutes of action.

“Connell and Bostwick's leadership over the season and especially within the past week was key to getting over the final hump and winning these last two games,” commented Williams. “Connell is someone that you can stick on the other team's best defender and hold them to tough shots. Bostwick is just a straight leader when it comes to our offense, we relied on them this week and their leadership presence will surely be missed next season.”

Oregon Tech was led by Busch and New, who scored 12 points each on a combined 8-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc. Nicole Morgan grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, while also handing out a game-high tying four assists.

As a team, Corban shot 20-for-52 (38.5%) from the field that included a 4-for-12 (33.3%) mark from three-point land and a 7-for-12 (58.3%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Oregon Tech was 16-for-56 (28.6%) from the field, 8-for-24 (33.3%) from long distance, and 8-for-14 (57.1%) at the charity stripe.

With the regular season coming to a close, Corban finished 12-16 overall and 8-12 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech concluded at 14-15 overall and 7-13 in CCC action.