LA GRANDE, Ore. - The Corban University women's basketball team overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to take No. 21 Eastern Oregon University to overtime, but the Warriors ultimately came up short to the Mountaineers, 67-58. Despite the loss, Corban remained in sole possession of third place of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC), while Eastern Oregon remained in the top spot of the standings.
Senior center Tara Van Weerdhuizen (Spokane, Wash.) paced Corban with her 12th double-double of the season, as she recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots. Junior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) was the only other Warrior to score in double figures, as she added 12 points and three assists.
The Navy and Gold (17-11, 11-5 CCC) claimed its only lead of the game on its first possession, as junior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) found Van Weerdhuizen for the layup at the 19:28 mark. However, the Mountaineers bounced back with a 9-0 run and forced the Warriors to miss seven-straight shots.
Van Weerdhuizen appeared to be Corban's only offense in the first frame, as she scored 12 of the first 14 points for the Warriors. Her jumper with 7:26 remaining in the first half brought Corban to within four (18-14), but Eastern Oregon drilled a pair of jumpers from downtown in the midst of a 9-2 run to stretch its lead to double digits (27-16).
After the Mountaineers (21-5, 13-2 CCC) led by as many as 13, Lowery knocked down a three-pointer to slice the deficit to 10 (31-21) with 2:26 left in the first half. Although Eastern Oregon scored on its next possession, neither team managed to hit a field goal in the final two minutes of the frame, and the Mountaineers went into the locker room with a 33-21 advantage.
Corban only shot 24.2% (8-for-33) in the first half, while Eastern Oregon fired up a 41.2% (14-for-34) clip. The Warriors, the fourth-best three-point shooting team in the CCC, were just 1-for-9 from three-point range in the stanza. Van Weerdhuizen was a rebound shy of a double-double in the opening 20 minutes, as she compiled 14 points and nine boards, while Airashay Rogers led the way for Eastern Oregon with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting.
The opening moments of the second half saw a Corban team on a mission, as the Warriors scored eight of the first 10 points to get to within six (35-29) following a jumper by sophomore forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.). Although the Mountaineers matched its largest lead (42-29) of the game at the 12:23 mark, the Warriors refused to quit, as the Navy and Gold exploded for a 15-4 run capped by a bucket in the paint by Lowery.
Trailing by three (49-46) with 5:59 left in regulation, Lowery dished to sophomore forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.), and the Warriors' best three-point shooter delivered, as she buried a jumper from downtown to tie the contest for the first time since the two CCC foes were scoreless.
After the two teams traded baskets, Wilcox's jumper in the paint found the bottom of the net to knot the contest at 53 apiece with just 56 seconds left on the clock. Corban had a couple of chances to win, but Lowery's jumper fell short with 26 seconds left, and then the Warriors turned it over as the buzzer sounded to result in the extra period.
The Navy and Gold used an intense defensive effort to hold the Mountaineers to just a 28.6% (8-for-28) shooting clip in the second stanza. Meanwhile, Corban shot 43.3% (13-for-30) in the half, including a 3-for-6 effort from beyond the arc.
In overtime, freshman guard Maya Ah You drained back-to-back three's before Corban even had a chance to catch its breath, as Eastern Oregon took a 59-53 lead with 3:53 remaining on the clock.
Van Weerdhuizen scored the Warriors' first field goal of the period at the 2:56 mark to cut the Mountaineers' lead to six (61-55), but Corban went on to miss three of its last four shots, and Eastern Oregon survived the upset scare to hold on for a 67-58 victory.
"We played an excellent second half to tie EOU after being down 12 at half," said head coach Dave Bale. "The ladies played a good first half, but we just couldn't hit our hat. In the second half our shots started dropping and we had two nice runs to cut their lead. With the score tied the Warriors had a great defensive stand to keep EOU from taking the lead and on our transition we had a shot which just came up short which sent us into overtime. It was a gutsy performance by the Warriors."
Pilgeram finished the night with nine points, seven boards, and a trio of three-pointers, while Wilcox chipped in eight points on 4-for-8 shooting. In addition, senior center Danielle Vanderstoel (Salem, Ore.) came off to bench to snag 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of action.
Three players scored in double figures for Eastern Oregon, as Ah You and Rogers compiled 18 points apiece. Meanwhile, senior forward Kassy Larsen recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, and a pair of steals in 26 minutes.
The Navy and Gold shot 32.4% (23-for-71) from the floor, including a 5-for-19 effort from downtown. The Mountaineers didn't fare much better, as they tossed in a 37.9% (25-for-66) clip and went 8-for-26 from three-point range. Eastern Oregon's bench proved to be the difference, as it outscored Corban's subs, 30-7.
The Warriors will look to bounce back tomorrow night against The College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho at 4:30 p.m. PST.
