BOX SCORE

MONMOUTH, Ore. – In the opening game of the fourth annual Capital City Classic, Corban's women's basketball team fell to the Keelhaulers of California Maritime Academy, 63-59 in overtime, Friday inside the New PE Building on the campus of Western Oregon University.

Corban (2-4) will now take on cross town rival Willamette in the consolation finals, while Cal Maritime (4-5) moves to the championship game against tournament-host Western Oregon.

Sophomore Julia Young led the Warriors in scoring with 11 points with fellow sophomores Kelli Christenson and Jade Lowery adding 10 points each. Junior Tara Vanweerdhuizen turned in an eight-point, 11-rebound performance with sophomore Megan Benedict adding nine points for the Warriors. Christenson also handed out a game-high four assists, while Vanweerhuizen added a game-high three blocked shots.

Cal Maritime was led offensively by Shante Sands with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field to go along with a team-high eight rebounds, while three other Keelhaulers – Javier Brantley, Karissa Booker, and Tatjana Pitts – also scored in double figures with 12, 11, and 10 points, respectively. Four different CMA players – Pitts, Booker, Sarah Guerrero, and Toni Anaya – handed out one assist each for the Keelhaulers in the win.

Both teams opened the first half in a back-and-forth battle resulting in a tied score at 17-17 with 7:08 on the clock. Over the next 51 seconds, Cal Maritime scored four unanswered points resulting in a four-point lead (21-17) on a Pitts jumper with 6:17 on the clock. Over the final six-plus minutes, Corban closed the first half on a 13-3 run to take a six-point lead (30-24) into halftime following a jumper by Christenson for the final points of the opening twenty minutes.

The second half began with Cal Maritime using a 12-5 run over the opening seven minutes en route to taking a one-point lead (36-35) on a jumper by Sands with 13:13 left. Over the next three-in-a-half minutes, Corban used a 9-0 run that resulted in an eight-point lead (44-36) on a three-pointer by Lowery with 9:43 left. The Warriors continued to hold the lead until the final minute, as Cal Maritime used a 19-11 run that tied the game for the ninth time at 55-55 on an old-fashion three-point play by Sands with 64 seconds left. Over the final minute, Corban's defense stepped up its pressure forcing the Keelhaulers into a 30-second shot clock violation with 9.0 seconds left. With the score tied, Corban attempted to end the game when Young took the ball up the far sideline and nearly converted a last-second lay-in only to have the ball hit the back iron and bounce into the awaiting arms of CMA's Brantley as the second half buzzer sounded forcing overtime.

In the extra period, Cal Maritime scored the first four points on a jumper by Brantley and two free throws by Pitts resulting in a 59-55 lead with 2:19 on the clock. Corban would battle back to the tie the game for the 10th and final time at 59-59 on four straight points by Young within a 120-second span that concluded at the 48-second mark. Four straight points by Booker over the final minute would seal the deal for the Warriors, as Corban could not convert on a last-second three-pointer and putback resulting in the final difference of 63-59 for the Keelhaulers.

Corban combined to shoot 23-for-63 (36.5%) from the field that included a 5-for-23 (21.7%) performance from beyond the three-point line and an 8-for-11 (72.7%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Cal Maritime was a combined 21-for-66 (31.8%) from the field, 2-for-15 (13.3%) from long distance, and 19-for-27 (70.4%) at the charity stripe.

The fourth annual Capital City Classic will conclude tomorrow – Saturday, November 30th – with the consolation finals at 12:00 p.m. followed by the championship game at 2:00 p.m. Both games will be played inside the New PE Building on the campus of Western Oregon University in Monmouth.