ASHLAND, Ore. – In the final regular-season game of the 2016-17 campaign, the No. 5-ranked Southern Oregon University Raiders defeated the Corban University women's basketball team by a score of 83-62 on Sunday afternoon. The Raiders won both regular-season match-ups against the Warriors.
"Our girls competed so hard today!" exclaimed head coach Michelle Skyles. "We kept it close until midway through the second quarter, and then the last 14-15 minutes we played even with them. I am super proud of our team for continuing to fight and to play to the end. We just couldn't play with them for 40 minutes. It's a new season now and we must continue to compete."
The Warriors looked poised coming out for the start of the game, staying in striking distance as they closed the first quarter only down three, 18-15. However, No. 5 SOU quickly gained momentum and changed the game into their favor, outscoring Corban 27-18 in the second quarter, as they headed into halftime with a 12-point lead. Demi Sahlinger and Sydney Mullings led the way for the Raiders with 10 points apiece in the first half, while junior Maci Benedict poured in 14 points of her own for the Navy and Gold.
Never looking back, the Raiders outscored Corban 38-29 in the second half, as they were able to extend their largest lead to 24 before winning comfortably 83-62.
For the No. 5-ranked SOU, four players scored in double-digits in the victory, as Sahlinger finished with 16 points, Mullings added 13 points, and Autumn Durand and Toria Bradford scored 12 points and 10 points respectively. In addition, Durand finished with a game-high eight rebounds while Bradford recorded a team-high seven assists.
Benedict led the Warriors in the loss, as she recorded 16 points and five assists. Seniors Maddey Pflaumer and Payton Wilcox rounded out the double-digit scoring for Corban, as Pflaumer contributed 14 points and seven rebounds while Wilcox added 10 points and six rebounds. As a team, the Warriors shot 40.7% from the floor. However, turnovers plagued the Navy and Gold, as they committed 23 turnovers to the Raiders' six, resulting in 25 points off turnovers for Southern Oregon.
As Corban (14-14, 8-12 CCC) heads to the quarterfinal round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament, they will face a tough Eastern Oregon University team on the road in La Grande, Ore. Eastern Oregon will play as the second seed, while Corban will play as the seventh seed. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21.
Become a fan of Corban Athletics on Facebook
Follow Corban Athletics on Twitter @CorbanAthletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Instagram: corbanathletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Snapchat: corbanathletics
Watch Corban Warrior videos on Youtube: CorbanUAthletics
Sign up for our Corban Warriors email Newsletter
#WarriorNation
