GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Staring down a 19-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Corban University women's basketball team was going to suffer a heavy-handed loss on the road against University of Providence on Saturday. The Warriors made a game out of it, however, almost doubling their point total for the previous three quarters combined in a late fourth-quarter comeback attempt. That rally fell just short in the end, however, as the Argos held on for a 55-47 triumph.
"Once again, our relentlessness and passion really came out in the second half," said head coach Bill Pilgeram. "We have to keep getting better at being consistent for the whole 40 minutes, but there were a lot of good things in that game to build on, especially considering the quality of opponent Providence is."
The Warriors were forced to play uphill from the onset, struggling to gain offensive momentum in a dry first half of shooting. Corban sank just two of its first 10 shots in the first quarter, contributing to a sizeable early advantage for the home team.
Providence continued stretching that lead through the second and third quarters, as the Warriors went 0-for-13 from beyond the arc in the first 30 minutes of play.
Showing grit and resilience, Corban refused to back down, rattling off 23 points in the fourth quarter on an impressive 9-of-17 shooting (4-of-6 3PT) performance. Gemma LaVergne was a key contributor to the late comeback bid, sinking three triples to ignite the Warrior offense.
Unfortunately for Corban, the early deficit would prove to be too much to overcome, as Providence—spearheaded by 14-point efforts from both Emilee Maldonado and Reed Hazard—endured the late push and held onto victory.
Turnovers plagued the Warriors in the defeat, with the Argos benefiting from 21 Corban giveaways, which led directly to 18 points for the hometown team.
Shaelie Burgess ended the afternoon with 12 points and 10 rebounds, registering the first double-double of the season for the Navy and Gold. For the second-straight day, Holly Golenor almost had one herself, as well, notching 11 points and nine boards.
Corban (1-2) will have an opportunity to bounce back tomorrow in the final game of its Montana road trip, heading to Helena, Mont. to challenge Carroll College at 1 p.m. MT.
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