PORTLAND, Ore. – The Corban University women's basketball team made its long-awaited debut on Friday, cruising to a 75-61 victory over Multnomah University in the first official contest of the 2020-21 season. Shaelie Burgess put up ridiculous numbers in the triumph, scoring a team-high 20 points and collecting 17 rebounds.

"It was great to get on the court again with this team," said head coach Bill Pilgeram. "Our effort was perfect, and we settled into game action more and more as the game progressed."

Though the contest seemed to be in Corban's control from early on, it was still anybody's game at the half, as the Warriors took a five-point advantage (37-32) into the locker room.

The Navy and Gold pulled away in the second half, however, due in large part to the squad's impressive presence in the paint.

Making a strong first impression, Holly Golenor was exceptional in her Warrior debut, scoring 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while also grabbing six rebounds.

Coming off the bench, Gemma LaVergne wasted no time making an impact, tallying 13 points (4-of-7 FG) in a stellar collegiate premiere.

"We got to play a lot of players, and our depth really helped us tonight," Pilgeram added. "Our points in the paint and rebounding margin were big advantages for us!"

The Warriors nearly doubled the Lions in boards at the end of Friday's contest, outrebounding the hometown squad by a gaudy 61-36 margin. Of course, Burgess' 17 boards played a significant role in the Navy and Gold's dominance down low, and Halle Wright ranked second on the team with 13 in the triumph. Dominant down low, Corban also outscored Multnomah 40-22 in the paint.

Maddie Hill was the top playmaker for the Lions, scoring a game-high 22 points in the defeat.

Corban (1-0) will once again face off with Multnomah tomorrow night, this time from the comforts of home at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center. The matchup—which will be the first official contest on the newly-minted Tim Hills Court—is slated to begin at 6 p.m.