BOX SCORE

EUGENE, Ore. – A 12-2 run in the first half helped lead the NAIA's No. 14-ranked Corban women's basketball team to a 63-53 win over Cascade Collegiate Conference rival Northwest Christian Friday inside the Morse Event Center, as the Warriors ran their win streak to a league-high six games and remain in a tie for first place in the CCC standings.

With tonight's win, Corban improves to 16-5 overall and 10-2 in CCC play. Meanwhile, Northwest Christian falls to 9-15 overall and 1-11 in league games.

Junior Emily Tsugawa led the Warriors with a season and game-high tying 20 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field to go along with a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line and a game-high six assists, while freshman Tara Vanweerdhuizen came within three blocks on her first career triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and a game-high seven blocks. Senior Katie Steigleman came off Corban's bench for the third straight game and scored 10 points, while junior Tess Bennett tallied six points and 10 rebounds.

Northwest Christian would begin the game scoring the first five points before Corban used a 7-0 run over a span of two-plus minutes en route securing a two-point lead (7-5) thanks to three straight Tsugawa free throws with 15:28 on the clock. Both teams would trade three-point baskets to go along with a NCU jumper that knotted the game for the second time at 10-10 with 14:42 remaining. Over the next five minutes, Corban would use its aforementioned 12-2 run en route to taking a 10-point lead (22-12) on a Tsugawa jumper with 9:46 left. The visiting Warriors would push their lead to as much as 12 points (28-16) on a Steigleman jumper before Corban settled for a slim four-point advantage (35-31) at halftime.

In the opening three-plus minutes of the second half, Corban would scored the opening seven points en route to pushing its lead to 11 points (42-31) on a Tsugawa lay-in with 16:39 left. Northwest Christian would battle back to within six points (42-36) before the visiting Warriors used a 10-2 run that resulted in a 14-point lead (52-38) following a three-pointer by Steigleman with 11:50 on the clock. Corban would continue to hold its double-digit lead until the host Beacons came within five points (56-51) thanks to a 13-4 run that concluded with a Aly Bruns' three-pointer at the 5:53 mark. A quick 7-2 run to end the game would result in a 10-point Warrior win (63-53), as Steigleman netted the final points via a three-pointer.

Northwest Christian was led by Lindsey Shearer with game high totals of 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Bruns chipped in with 10 points and Martha Taylor grabbed 12 rebounds. Bruns would lead the Beacons with five assists, while Shearer and Kelsey Atkins registered a game-high tying three steals each.

As a team, Corban combined to shoot 25-for-60 (41.7%) from the field to go along with a 4-for-15 (26.7%) showing from beyond the three-point line and a 9-for-14 (64.3%) performance at the free throw line. On the other hand, Northwest Christian was 20-for-81 (24.7%) from the field, 5-for-28 (17.9%) from long distance, and 8-for-16 (50.0%) at the charity stripe.

Corban will return to action on Friday, February 3rd, against the NAIA's No. 8-ranked Eastern Oregon beginning at 5:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem. Friday's game will be a battle for first place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings, as the Warriors and Mountaineers are currently tied atop the league standings with Eastern Oregon hosting Evergreen tomorrow night in La Grande.