SALEM, Ore. - Battling for a share of the top spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings, the Corban University women's basketball team nearly erased a 16-point second-half deficit, but ultimately fell to the Mountaineers of (RV) Eastern Oregon University, 76-66. Turnovers proved costly for the Warriors, as the Mountaineers scored 28 points off 23 Corban turnovers.
Eastern Oregon (15-5, 7-2 CCC) leaped to a double-digit (19-9) advantage early in the opening half after senior forward Kassy Larson converted a three-point play with 13:29 remaining. Corban, however, responded with two-straight baskets after senior guard Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.) knocked down a jumper and junior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) scored with the left hand on a strong drive to the hoop.
After sophomore forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) drilled a three-pointer to cut the Mountaineers' lead to eight (29-21), Eastern Oregon junior guard Jordan Klebaum caught fire, responding with back-to-back three-pointers of her own to stretch the Mountaineers' advantage to 14 (35-21) with 2:57 left in the first stanza. Corban (12-9, 6-3 CCC) trailed at the half, 38-28.
Although the Warriors shot better than the Mountaineers in the first 20 minutes, Corban had 13 first-half miscues compared to just two by Eastern Oregon.
With the Mountaineers ahead, 50-39, at the 12:31 mark of the second half, a layup by Eastern Oregon junior guard Airashay Rogers sparked a 7-2 run over the next three minutes to stretch the lead to 16. While the Warriors still faced a same deficit with just 7:19 left on the clock, a three-point play by sophomore forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.) ignited a furious 12-2 run to cut the difference to just six (63-57).
Although Wilcox drained a three-pointer in the corner to cut Eastern Oregon's lead to five (71-66) with 37 seconds to go, the Mountaineers knocked down five of their last six free throws to seal the victory.
The Warriors were led by Wilcox, as she registered her best effort in CCC action with 14 points and eight rebounds. Pilgeram knocked down four jumpers from downtown and scored 12 points for Corban, while Holboke also tallied double figures with 10 points.
"The ladies played hard and we did not quit," stated head coach Dave Bale. "Payton had a really nice game with fourteen points and 8 rebounds, as did Haley and Sadie. Tara and Dani helped control the boards against a team which out-rebounds others by 15 per game, with 12 and 7 respectfully. The loss was disappointing because we all knew there were things we could have done better."
Coming into the contest, Corban was 10-0 in the 2014-15 campaign when four players or more scored at least nine points, but the Mountaineers managed to keep the Warriors at bay and halted the streak.
Klebaum finished the evening with a season-high 22 points, including a 6-for-10 mark from beyond the arc. Junior forward Madeline Laan was the only other Mountaineer to record double figures, as she added 15 points to go along with six rebounds.
Neither team shot particularly well, as Corban finished the contest with a 37.3% (22-for-59) effort compared to a 38.8% (26-for-67) clip by Eastern Oregon. The Navy and Gold dominated on the glass (46-36), but Eastern Oregon drilled nine three pointers compared to five by Corban.
The Warriors (12-9, 6-3 CCC) return to action on Jan. 23 against Northwest University in Salem, Ore. at 5:30 p.m.
