Salem, Ore. – Four Warriors scored in double-figures as the Corban University women's basketball team won its home-opener against New Hope Christian College, 76-51, at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center on Tuesday night. The Navy and Gold shot a stifling 47 percent from the field in the winning effort.  

Corban (2-0) came out firing and raced to a 10-2 lead at the 15:10 mark following a jumper by junior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.).  After the Deacons cut the Navy and Gold's lead to three (10-7), a three-pointer by sophomore forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) ignited a 27-7 Warrior run that put New Hope away.

With a 41-18 advantage in the winding seconds of the first half, junior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) broke down her defender and scored to lift Corban to a 25-point halftime lead. The Warriors shot 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from the field and held the Deacons to just three field goals in the opening frame.

New Hope (0-5) never inched closer than 19 points in the second half, as Corban used a balanced inside-outside attack to keep the Deacons at bay. At the 7:46 mark, Young found junior guard Chris Carlson (Silver Lake, Wash.) on the left wing for a three-pointer to give the Warriors a 65-37 lead. Moments later, Carlson drove the ball strong to the hoop and scored to stretch Corban's advantage to 30 points (67-37) with just over seven minutes remaining.

Despite cooling off from the perimeter in the second stanza, the Warriors managed to dominate the paint thanks to the inside presence of senior center Tara Van Weerdhuizen (Spokane, Wash.), as she came off the bench to score 11 second-half points. With 4:43 left in the game, Lowery sped past her defender and lobbed it down low to Van Weerdhuizen for the layup to grant Corban its largest lead (71-39) of the game.

Lowery directed Corban's offense with a game-high 17 points and five assists, while Van Weerdhuizen added 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Two other Warriors netted double-figures, including senior guard Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.) and Pilgeram, as they chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Deacons were led by junior guard Ellie Gould, as she finished just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Freshman forward Sasha Sims drained a trio of three-pointers and was New Hope's only other double-digit scorer with 11 points.

As a team, Corban shot 31-for-66 from the floor and held a plus-nine (47-38) advantage on the boards. The Warriors continued to display a strong defensive effort, as the Navy and Gold held New Hope to 23.2 percent (13-56) shooting and forced 22 Deacon turnovers.

After the game, Lowery and Van Weerdhuizen spoke with the Sports Information Office about the victory:

The Warriors return to the hardwood on Friday to take on Westmont College in Salem, Ore. at 3:30 p.m.