CALDWELL, Idaho - The Corban University women's basketball team could not overcome an inspired College of Idaho team on Saturday evening, as the Yotes won on Senior Night in front of 1,100 fans, 66-53. Despite the loss, Corban remains a lock as the No. 3 seed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings heading into the final contest of the regular season.
The Warriors began the game on the front foot, as junior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) nailed a three-pointer after just one minute, getting Corban on the board first.
Senior center Danielle Vanderstoel (Salem, Ore.) and senior guard Haley Holboke (Vancouver, Wash.) both converted shots early on for the Navy and Gold as well, keeping the game tight.
The Yotes went on a mini-run over the next couple of minutes, but sophomore forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) drained a shot from downtown, and then senior center Tara Van Weerdhuizen (Spokane, Wash.) hit a jumper of her own, tying the contest at 18-18.
Holboke followed that up with a long-range effort, and Corban found itself in front by three points at the nine-minute mark, but then C of I used a 13-1 run to nab the lead back and ultimately scored the final seven points of the half en route to taking a 39-28 lead into the break.
In the second stanza, the Warriors cut the deficit to just four points early on, but that would be as close as Corban would get, as C of I led by double digits for nearly the remainder of the contest en route to its 13-point triumph.
One of the big differences of the night proved to be bench points, as the Yotes' bench outscored Corban's bench, 29-8.
"The Warriors battled for 40 minutes, but the Yotes' hot shooting in the first half was our undoing," said head coach Dave Bale. "We out-rebounded them kept our TO's down, but our shots just refused to drop."
Overall, Corban shot 35.6% from the field and 30.4% from beyond the arc, while the Yotes shot 42.6% from the floor and 42.9% from downtown.
Individually, Pilgeram finished the night with 12 points, six boards, and five assists, while junior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) also tallied 12 points in defeat. Additionally, Young registered 11 points, while Van Weerdhuizen recorded a six-point 11-board performance.
Corban (17-12, 11-6 CCC) returns to the court next Saturday evening when it hosts Northwest Christian University on Senior Night. Tipoff in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center is set for 5:30 p.m.
