BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – For the first time in school history, Corban's women's basketball team captured the Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season crown outright thanks to a 55-39 win over the Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Tech Saturday inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
With the win, Corban also grabs the conference's first of two automatic berths to the NAIA Division II national tournament in Sioux City, Iowa on March 7-13. The Warriors conclude the regular season at 21-6 overall and 15-3 in league play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech falls to 21-9 overall and 10-8 in CCC games.
On
Senior Recognition Night, senior
Shayla Fetters led all players with a game-high 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field that included a 4-for-7 showing from beyond the three-point line. Junior
Tess Bennett also added 10 points and a game-high tying 11 rebounds, while seniors
Becky Buhler and
Katie Steigleman chipped in with eight and five points, respectively. Junior
Emily Tsugawa also provided five points and a game-high six assists, while junior
Christy Mosier and freshman
Elizabeth Downs added two points each.
Corban would begin the game on a quick 7-0 run over the opening three minutes before Oregon Tech got on the board at the 16:09 mark. The host Warriors would push their lead to double digits (15-5) on a free throw by Fetters with 10:52 left. Over the next eight minutes, Corban would continue to hold the lead before earning a 12-point advantage (25-13) on a lay-in by Fetters with 2:55 on the clock. Oregon Tech would pull within six points (25-19) thanks to a 6-0 run that concluded with a pair of free throws by Rebekah Matteri with 32 seconds left. Following a Aundrea Albright free throw that brought the visiting Hustlin' Owls within seven points (27-20) with exactly three seconds left, Fetters hit a half-court buzzer-beater that gave Corban a 10-point lead (30-20) at halftime.
The second half would begin with the host Warriors using a 6-0 run over a span of two-plus minutes to pull ahead by 16 points (36-20) on a jumper by Steigleman with 17:47 remaining. Corban would push their lead to a game-high 17 points (39-22) on a Fetters' three-pointer at the 16:43 mark before cruising to the 16-point win (55-39) that wrapped up the No. 1-seed in the CCC postseason tournament that begins Tuesday.
Oregon Tech was led by Albright's 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Karissa Dixon added nine points to go along with a five-point effort by Kassi Conditt.
As a team, Corban combined to shoot 20-for-56 (35.7%) from the field to go along with a 6-for-19 (31.6%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a 9-for-19 (47.4%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Oregon Tech was 13-for-56 (23.2%) from the field, 1-for-13 (7.7%) from long distance, and 12-for-24 (50.0%) at the charity stripe.
Corban will open the 2012 CCC postseason tournament on Tuesday, February 21st, against the No. 8-seeded Geoducks of Evergreen beginning at 7:00 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center. Oregon Tech, who captured the tournament's No. 5-seed will travel to No. 4-seeded Warner Pacific for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Tuesday, as well.
