PORTLAND, Ore. - The Corban University women's basketball team was hoping history would repeat itself on Saturday afternoon as the Warriors were looking for their second-straight victory over NCAA Division I opponent, Portland State University, but it was not to be as the PSU Vikings jumped out to an early advantage, ultimately proving too large a lead to overcome for Corban in the 90-76 win for the Vikings. For the Warriors, the contest was an exhibition, therefore not counting as an official loss in the record books.
"It was a tale of two halves, or better yet, one quarter vs. three quarters," said Corban head coach Dave Bale. "We didn't quit, and we kept adjusting and found things which worked. The three started falling for us and the defense was energized as a result."
During the 2014-15 campaign, Corban defeated Portland State on the road, 74-64.
The rough first quarter is what sealed Corban's fate, as the Warriors were blitzed early on by a red-hot PSU team, and the Vikings raced out to a 32-9 lead after just 10 minutes. In the second quarter, however, Corban made adjustments and played better defensively, registering a 17-17 quarter with the Vikings.
Still down 23 points at the halftime break, however, Corban knew it would take an extraordinary effort to come back from that deficit, and despite outscoring the Vikings by nine total points in the second half, it was not enough, resulting in the 14-point defeat.
Despite the loss, there were many positives to draw from the contest for Corban. Junior forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) led the way for the Warriors with 21 points, sinking five three-pointers in the game. In addition, senior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) tallied 15 points for the Warriors, while freshman guard Lindsay Asplund (Battle Ground, Wash.) contributed a career-best 14 points for the Navy and Gold.
As a team, Corban shot 35.9% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc, while PSU shot 40.5% overall and just 18.5% from downtown. One of the key differences in the game was that the Vikings (1-7) got to the free-throw line 28 times, making 21 of their tries, while the Warriors shot just 10 free throws, making only four.
Corban (4-6, 0-2 CCC) returns home and gets back to Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action next weekend when it hosts Eastern Oregon University on Friday, and College of Idaho on Saturday. Tip off on both evenings is set for 5:30 p.m.
