LA GRANDE, Ore. - The Corban University women's basketball team fell behind early against the Eastern Oregon University women's basketball team on Saturday evening, and after trailing by 10 at the half, the Warriors could not climb out of the halftime hole, resulting in an 81-55 defeat. The win for EOU gives the Mountaineers the season sweep over the Warriors.
After taking a 35-25 lead into the halftime intermission, the Mountaineers opened the third quarter on fire, going on a 17-6 run to extend the lead for good. In the fourth quarter, Corban didn't get closer than 17 points, resulting in the eventual 26-point Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) loss.
Despite the defeat, Warrior senior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) registered yet another 20-point performance, shooting 8-of-19 from the field with four shots from downtown on the night. For Lowery, it was her eighth 20-point game of the 2015-16 campaign, and on the year, she has only not scored in double digits on three occasions.
Also playing well on the evening was junior forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.), as she shot 5-for-10 from the field for 14 points to go with a team-best six boards. Additionally, junior forward Sadie Pilgeram (Helena, Mont.) shot 5-for-7 from the field and sank a trio of three-pointers on the way to scoring 13 points.
As a team, Corban shot just 37.5% from the floor overall and made only 33.3% of its three-point attempts.
The Mountaineers (14-10, 10-3 CCC) shot 51.6% on the evening and drained 12 three-pointers in the triumph. Jordan Klebaum led the way for EOU with 22 points, hitting six long-range efforts while dishing out seven assists.
"We had a good game plan and did some good things, but when the three is falling like it did for EOU, it makes it tough," said Corban head women's basketball coach Dave Bale. "Sadie and Jade hit a good percentage of their threes, so we are hoping they keep it up. I was proud of how we competed to the end."
Corban (11-10, 6-6 CCC) returns to the hardwood on Tuesday and remains on the road when it travels south to Northwest Christian University. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
