EUGENE, Ore. – With a trip to the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, on the line, the Corban University women's basketball team fell to No. 16-ranked and No. 1-seeded Northwest Christian University on Friday evening.

The Beacons claimed the semifinal matchup, 76-51, ending the Warriors' pursuit of a return trip to the NAIA National Tournament.

"I am so proud of this team and how they competed and carried themselves all year," said head coach Bill Pilgeram. "I am blessed to coach such an amazing group of women. I thought we played very well for most of this game, but NCU was able to make shots and keep momentum in the second half."

The Navy and Gold claimed the game's first three baskets, helping the squad to an early lead against its Interstate-5 rival. The Beacons would claw back to trim the deficit, but the Warriors held on to a one-point advantage after the first quarter of play.

The CCC Regular-Season Champions flexed their muscles in the second stanza to capture the lead, but the game was hardly out of Corban's reach (36-30) at the midway point.

The third quarter proved to be the difference in the game, however, as Northwest Christian outscored Corban 23-9 to pull away late.

Beacon freshman Kaylen Kamelamela turned in a career performance in the victory, draining five triples en route to a career-high 25 points on a ridiculous 10-of-13 shooting effort.

The rookie's standout game was particularly important, given the Warriors were able to limit Beacon star Morgan McKinney to just 11 points, her lowest-scoring effort since Corban and NCU matched up on December 4, 2019.

Warrior seniors shined in their final collegiate contests, as Jordan Woodvine led the squad in scoring (16 points), Bri Turner turned in her highest-scoring effort since CCC play began (nine points, seven rebounds, 3-of-4 FG), and Rayna Pilgeram (six points) racked up a game-high 11 boards.

Perhaps the greatest to ever don the Navy and Gold, Woodvine finishes her career as the fourth-highest scorer in Warrior history with 1,506 points in just three seasons. In addition, her 19.4 points per game in 2019-20 is the new all-time benchmark for the program.

"The seniors we have will be missed terribly," added Pilgeram, speaking of his graduating class. "But there is no doubt they will go into the world and make a difference for Christ!"

Though Corban possesses an outside chance at an at-large berth to the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championships, the bid is unlikely.

Should this indeed be the final game played by the squad in 2019-20, the Warriors finish with an 18-12 overall record (13-7 CCC), just the squad's second 18-win season in the past seven years.