SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University women's basketball team surrendered its first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) game of the 2014-15 campaign on Friday evening to No. 25 Oregon Tech, 54-49. The Warriors had a six-point advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining, but the Owls nailed a trio of critical three-pointers down the stretch to claim the victory.
Senior center Tara Van Weerdhuizen (Spokane, Wash.) continued her dominance on the glass for Corban, as she followed up a 20-rebound performance against New Hope Christian College on Dec. 27 with 17 rebounds, 12 points, and six blocks in a losing effort to Oregon Tech.
Corban (9-7, 3-1 CCC) led for a majority of the opening 20 minutes, as sophomore forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.) nailed a jumper at the 12:51 mark to give the Navy and Gold its largest lead of the first half, 12-7. After Oregon Tech responded with seven unanswered points, Corban fired right back with an 8-2 run that included back-to-back jumpers from beyond the arc. With both teams deadlocked at 25 apiece, senior guard Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.) scored the final basket of the stanza to give the Warriors a 27-25 halftime lead.
Van Weerdhuizen was key in keeping Corban ahead in the first frame, as she collected five blocks and claimed 12 of Corban's 20 first-half rebounds. Junior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) drained a pair of three's in the first half and led the Warriors in scoring with eight points to go along with five boards.
Corban shot 40.7% (11-for-27) from the field in the first half, while Oregon Tech only managed a 29.0% (9-for-31) clip. However, the Owls remained within striking distance due to 10 Warrior turnovers.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Corban came out firing and stretched its lead to seven (34-27) after sophomore forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) drilled a three-pointer. Although the Warriors maintained the advantage for most of the second frame, the Owls (13-4, 2-3 CCC) hung around thanks to 16 second-chance points in the final 20 minutes.
With just over two minutes left in the contest, Carrie Thibault nailed a jumper in the paint to give the Owls their first lead of the second half, 47-46. Moments later, Pilgeram knocked down a huge three-pointer at the 1:36 mark to regain the lead for Corban. But just 15 seconds later, Thibault struck again, as she responded with a three of her own to give Oregon Tech the lead for good. Corban had a chance to tie the game with four seconds remaining, but Lowery's heave couldn't find the bottom of the net.
"What we saw tonight was one of those big-time fights where neither fighter could finish the fight," stated head coach Dave Bale. "We played good defense, and Tara and Danielle did a great job keeping them from finishing at the basket."
Lowery, Wilcox, and Pilgeram each chipped in eight points for the Navy and Gold. Junior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) added six points, while senior center Danielle Vanderstoel (Salem, Ore.) and Holboke rounded out Corban's scoring with five and two points, respectively.
The Owls were led by Karly LeVeque, as she paced the team with 17 points, six rebounds, and five steals. Thibault finished the contest with 13 points, while Megan Whetstone snagged 12 rebounds for Oregon Tech.
Although Oregon Tech only shot 26.6% (17-for-64) from the field, the Owls outrebounded Corban, 49-38. The Warriors finished the game with a 36.4% (20-for-55) clip, but the Warriors were only 3-for-9 (33.3%) from the charity stripe.
"We gave up too many offensive rebounds, and we did not hit our free throws like we have been doing," commented Bale. "It was a disappointing finish for the ladies, as we were well prepared, the ball just didn't cooperate."
Highlights from tonight's CCC affair can be seen below.
Corban returns to action on Saturday against No. 15 Southern Oregon University in Salem, Ore. at 5:30 p.m.
