SALEM, Ore. – Senior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) tied the school record on Friday night in the Warriors' season-opener with 39 points, leading the Corban University women's basketball team to an 88-83 triumph over Simpson University (Calif.). For Corban, the 39 points is a new record for points in a season-opening game.
"What an effort by both the veterans and the freshmen," said Corban head coach Dave Bale. "Like most first outings, there were things we did well and some things we will have to shore up, but if you don't stop and smell the roses and appreciate the beauty of the performance, the pruning of the team will become drudgery."
The Warriors began the game on a rampant pace in the new-look game that featured four quarters. In the first stanza, the Warriors raced out to a 24-16 advantage, while in the second quarter, Corban did not let up, scoring 27 more points while holding the Red Hawks to just 19 points.
With Lowery leading the way, the Warriors maintained the large advantage in the third quarter, but Simpson put together a rally that gave Corban a bit of a scare, as in the fourth stanza, it came down to some clutch free-throw shooting by Warrior junior forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) to seal the five-point win for Corban.
"Each player contributed, and Jade, Sadie, and Julia all had great outings with Jade having a great scoring afternoon, and Sadie recorded a double-double," said Bale. "Julia had a number of weak-side defensive gems and was a rock at the line."
Jade's 39-point performance not only tied the Corban record for points in a game, but it showed why Lowery will undoubtedly be one of the best in the conference in 2015-16. On a 13-of-22 shooting performance, Lowery nailed four three-pointers and went 9-of-12 from the charity stripe. She also grabbed four boards and dished out three assists in the victory.
After the game, she talked about the win in a post-game interview:
Pilgeram played big all night long for the Warriors, scoring 16 points while hauling in 14 boards for Corban and dishing out four assists. Moreover, senior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) put together a solid season-opening showing, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Corban (1-0) heads to Corvallis to take on Oregon State University on Sunday in an exhibition against the Beavers. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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