REDDING, CALIF. – The last time the Corban University women's basketball team won its season-opener was during the 2008-09 campaign when the Warriors defeated Simpson University. Six years later, history managed to repeat itself, as the Navy and Gold held on for a 57-48 triumph over Simpson at the Heritage Student Life Center on Saturday night. 

"We opened up with a really good effort on defense and with five minutes to go in the half we finally found the bottom of the net," stated head coach Dave Bale.

In the first half, Corban's stingy defense forced 12 turnovers and held Simpson to 20 percent (5-25) shooting from the field. Junior guard Chris Carlson (Silver Lake, Wash.) scored 12 first-half points on 4-for-5 shooting from the beyond-the-arc. The Warriors also had an inside presence thanks to senior center Danielle Vanderstoel (Salem, Ore.), as she scored six points, grabbed six boards, and rejected one shot during the first 20 minutes.

The Navy and Gold managed to hold off a second-half rally from the Red Hawks, as Corban was outscored by nine (33-24) in the frame. The Warriors shot just over 30 percent compared to a 39 percent clip by Simpson. Junior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) did well to keep the Warriors in front, scoring 10 points in the second half on a 4-for-7 shooting effort. In the process, she nailed both of her three-point attempts.

Corban was led by Carlson and Lowery, as they netted 14 points apiece. Sophomore forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.) scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds for the Warriors, while senior guard Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.) chipped in seven points and three rebounds. The Navy and Gold's frontcourt was led by Vanderstoel, as she blocked four shots and snagged a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with her six points. 

"Jade, Chris, and Julia were our consistent scorers today," commented Bale. "Dani did a good job rebounding the ball and had four solid blocks. We had nice looks in the second half, but the rim seemed a bit tight, so hopefully that was first-game nerves."

As a team, the Warriors were 22-for-69 (31.9%) from the field and 6-for-14 (42.9%) from three-point range. Corban dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Red Hawks 52-38.

Corban (1-0) returns to the court on Nov. 4 for its home-opener against New Hope Christian College at 5:30 p.m.