SALEM, Ore. – A slow start once again doomed the Corban University women's basketball team, as after scoring just 18 points in the first half, the Warriors were unable to recover, resulting in a 63-49 loss against (RV) Oregon Tech on Saturday night in the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
"We knew Oregon Tech was a great basketball team, but their efficiency on both ends obviously caused us problems from the beginning and we never caught stride early," said Corban head women's basketball coach Michelle Skyles. "They scored so well in the first half and attacked our posts and we had three post players with two fouls early."
In the first quarter, Corban struggled to get much going offensively, and the Owls jumped on Corban's slow start, taking a 16-9 lead into the second stanza. The road squad then continued to build on the lead, shooting 50.0% in the second quarter while scoring 21 points and taking a 37-18 lead into the halftime intermission.
In the second half, Corban's defense picked up, causing a number of Owl turnovers, and the Warriors were able to outscore Oregon Tech in both the third and fourth quarters, but the deficit was ultimately too much to overcome, as the Owls held on for the comfortable victory.
"We fought in the second half, but dug ourselves too big of a hole to get out of against a good team," said Skyles. "We have to rebound because conference play will continue to challenge us again next week."
Oregon Tech was led by Carly McIsaac with 14 points, while Nohea Waiwaiole and Morgan Roberts-ILI both poured in 13 points apiece. As a team, the Owls shot 40.4% for the game while going 20-of-22 from the charity stripe. The Owls also took good care of the ball, only turning it over 10 times while forcing the Warriors into 19 turnovers.
For Corban, it was Maddey Pflaumer who led the way with 15 points on a 6-for-10 shooting effort to go with five boards. Also scoring in double-figures was Sadie Pilgeram with 12 points on a 3-for-4 shooting mark to go with three assists and six boards. As a team, Corban shot 40.5% from the field but just 12-of-20 from the free-throw line.
Corban (6-4, 0-2 CCC) returns to the hardwood next week when it heads east to take on Eastern Oregon University and the College of Idaho. Tipoff on Friday in La Grande against the Mountaineers is set for 5:30 p.m.
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