EUGENE, Ore. – The Corban University women's basketball team opened its 2014-15 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) campaign against Northwest Christian University on the road on Friday, and thanks to a significant rebounding advantage and solid all-around team effort, the Warriors dominated the Beacons, 75-43.  The triumph marks the second-straight CCC-opening win for the Warriors, with last year's also coming over Northwest Christian.

Coming into Friday's contest, Corban held the 14-6 all-time series lead, but the Beacons had won three of the last four games between the two CCC foes.  In the 2013-14 CCC opener, the two sides met in Eugene, with Corban coming out on top in that contest, 70-59.

The Beacons got off to a strong start, as Chandler Gabrio nailed a jumper and three-pointer early on, and after just three minutes, Northwest Christian led 9-2.

Warrior senior center Tara Van Weerdhuizen (Spokane, Wash.) answered for the Warriors with a strong finish at the rack, and after a Warrior steal, junior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) scored on the fast break.  Those two buckets sparked an 8-0 run by Corban as the Navy and Gold took a 10-9 advantage.

Continuing to use its press-oriented defense, Corban surged ahead 19-11 at the eight-minute mark thanks to four early Beacon turnovers, resulting in a number of easy buckets for the Warriors.

After the two sides exchanged a pair of baskets, Corban led 23-15 with 4:19 remaining in the first half.  After a pair of free throws, the Navy and Gold forced another Beacon turnover, their eighth of the half.  Late in the waning seconds of the first stanza, senior guard Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.) drained a shot from beyond the arc, putting the warriors up 32-17 at the halftime intermission.

During the first 20 minutes, the Warriors shot 35.1% from the field while holding the Beacons to a 20.0% effort from the floor.  In addition, the Warriors held the rebounding edge during the first half, 29-25.  Corban shot 13 times from beyond the arc, only making two, while the Beacons went 1-for-10 from downtown.

Northwest Christian began the second half strong, scoring on its first two trips down the floor to cut into the Warrior lead.  Corban then registered a pair of steals while continuing to apply its high-pressure defense, resulting in a couple of Warrior buckets.

Senior guard Katherine Salness (Portland, Ore.) came off the bench for the Navy and Gold in the second stanza early on, and after blowing past a defender, she pulled up and nailed a 15-footer to extend the Warrior advantage to 16 points.

After racking up seven fouls in the first five minutes of the second half, however, the Warriors were in foul trouble and the Beacons would go to the charity stripe for the remainder of the contest after every Corban foul.

Northwest Christian then went on a 6-0 spurt, cutting the deficit to just 10 points.

With nine minutes remaining in regulation, Corban led 47-35 after Young drove to the hoop and scored a layup.  The next time down the floor, sophomore forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.) converted on her three-point attempt, putting Corban back up by 14 points, 49-35.

Junior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) and Young combined on the next few possesions to score for Corban, and with 6:45 left, Corban led 58-35.

With the significant advantage, Corban emptied its bench and the rout was on.  Playing with a 25-point lead late in the contest, the Warriors did not let up defensively or on the offensive end, as junior forward Megan Benedict (Lebanon, Ore.) nailed shot from deep and then followed that up with a jumper to put Corban up by 30 points with 3:29 remaining.

From that point on, the Navy and Gold closed out the game in convincing fashion, winning by a final score of 75-43.  As a team, the Warriors finished the game shooting 38.6% from the field while holding the Beacons to just a 26.6% effort from the floor.  Corban's stifling full-court pressure led to 22 Northwest Christian turnovers.

"We kept our composure when they jumped out for their early lead, and our defensive pressure gave us some easier baskets to help us close the gap," stated head coach Dave Bale.  "Good balance in our scoring and good reserve play proved vital in the win.  The ladies took the rebounding challenge at halftime and limited their second-half opportunities."

One of the keys to the game for Corban was its 61-40 rebounding advantage, ultimately resulting in a 32-14 points-in-the-paint edge as well.  Additionally, crashing the glass resulted in a number of second-chance points for the Warriors, as Corban held the 20-7 advantage in the category.

Leading the way for the Warriors individually was Van Weerdhuizen with a game-high 11 points and 15 rebounds in just 26 minutes.  Young complemented her with 11 points as well while tallying four boards and one assist.  Lowery also finished in double figures for Corban, scoring 10 points while Holboke added seven on the evening.

Following the game, Van Weerdhuizen talked about the win in a post-game interview:

Highlighting the all-around team performance, all 14 players who played in Friday's contest scored at least two points on the evening.

For the Beacons, Melyssa Weber led the way with nine points and four boards, while Allie Kelsey scored six points.

Corban (5-5) takes a break from CCC action and travels to play Whitworth University and Whitman College in the KER Classic next weekend in Walla Walla, Wash.