ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Corban University women's basketball team held a lead throughout almost the entire contest on Tuesday afternoon on the road, but a late fourth-quarter surge from William Jessup University (5-2) led to Corban losing the contest, 59-56.
Corban held leads after the first, second, and third quarters, but while scoring just 12 points in the fourth quarter while allowing 24, Corban could not hold on late or convert on key late-game shots, ultimately resulting in the tough three-point loss.
One of the keys to the game was second-chance points, as William Jessup racked up 19 to just six for Corban. William Jessup totaled 23 offensive rebounds in the contest that led to those second-chance points. In addition, the home squad scored 18 bench points as compared to just nine from the Navy and Gold. William Jessup got 10 of those bench points in the explosive fourth quarter, sealing Corban's fate.
As a team, Corban shot the ball fairly well from beyond the arc, draining eight three-pointers overall while going 40.0% from downtown, but 17 turnovers and a few missteps late in the non-conference contest shut the door on the visiting Warriors. Corban did have a chance to tie the game or take the lead as the clock was winding down in the final moments, but a costly turnover gave the ball back to William Jessup, leaving Corban with only a half-court heave to finish the game, and that final shot unfortunately came up short.
"The ladies adjusted at halftime and put a nice run to go up nine," said Corban head coach Dave Bale. "We shot the ball well, but could not completely shut down their offensive rebounds. Sadie and Jade shot well and Sadie and Jordan came up big on the boards."
Individually, senior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) led the way with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while junior forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) totaled 16 points and a team-best nine boards. Also providing a solid effort down low for the Navy and Gold was freshman forward Jordan Rasberry (Clackamas, Ore.) with seven points and eight boards.
Corban (3-4) returns to the court tomorrow afternoon when it looks to start a new winning streak on the road against Simpson University (Calif.). Tipoff in Redding is scheduled for 3 p.m.
