SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University Women's Basketball team (5-5, 2-2) pulled to within three-points of the No. 10 Lewis-Clark State College Warriors (9-1, 4-0) late in the fourth quarter of their Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) matchup earlier tonight, but ultimately fell short at the end in a 71-59 victory for the visiting Warriors.

"I was really proud of our team's effort tonight," Corban Head Coach Bill Pilgeram shared following his squad's tough showing against an NAIA Top 10 team. "Shorthanded, we came out and battled with intensity against a top 10 lineup."

Pilgeram went on to state, "Unfortunately, our turnovers and ball control ended up hurting us a little too much. I hope our team leaves this game realizing how far we've come and where we want to be."

The pair of CCC Warriors went back-and-forth for a majority of the evening, with the understaffed Corban team leading at the end of the first quarter in one of their best shooting performances of the season. As a team that usually stretches the floor and finds offense from all angles, Corban took to the three-point line against one of their most formidable opponents to date, connecting on their first four attempts and adding three more field goals to lead 19-18 after the initial 10 minutes of action.

Unfortunately for the Navy and Gold, the second quarter continues to plague their scoreboard, as LC State found their offense and held the hometown squad to just 10 points in total, scoring 25 themselves to now lead 43-29 at the half. The road Warriors shot 9-for-21 from the floor, while the home Warriors managed just four field goals on 25% shooting.

Lewis-Clark guard Payton Hymas came off the bench to drop 12 points in the second quarter alone, earning herself the top spot on the leaderboard through 20 minutes played, while guard Callie Stevens added 11 points. Corban junior guard Maddie Godwin was the only home court Warrior with double-digit scoring in the first half, tallying 10 points in 14 minutes of floor time.

Corban dug into their double-digit deficit in the third quarter, as they flipped the script on Lewis-Clark to allow only 10 points to the No. 10 team in the country while putting up a formidable 16 points. Trailing by single digits for the first time since early in the second quarter, the Navy and Gold now held the momentum to find themselves with an opportunity to knock off a team on an eight-game winning streak, something that not many teams have accomplished thus far this season.

Following a layup and three-pointer to open the final quarter by Lewis-Clark State, Corban rattled off 10-straight points to trail by only one possession with 5:43 left on the scoreboard. However, LC State would benefit from five-straight Corban turnovers to stretch their lead back to a comfortable distance, dousing the Navy and Gold's hopes at an upset win on their home court.

A total of 12 turnovers in the fourth quarter would prove to be the difference maker tonight in the battle of the Warriors, with Corban tallying almost half of their miscues in the last 10 minutes alone. Corban even outshot the No. 10 Warriors in the contest, shooting 40% from the field compared to LC State's 34.6%.

Godwin finished her evening with a team-high 14 points in 31 minutes of action, adding four rebounds and four assists along the way. Senior forward Holly Golenor nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and eight boards, while sophomore guard Gemma LaVergne connected on three of her attempts from deep to finish with 11 points.

Stevens rallied off a game-high 20 points for the visiting Warriors and guard Ellie Sander held the hot hand throughout the contest to end her evening with 15 points, nine rebounds. All of Hymas' 12 points from the second quarter would finish at that mark for the remainder of the game.

The hometown Warriors bounce back into action tomorrow afternoon, as they're set to host Walla Walla University (1-6, 0-4) in their final contest before the Christmas Break at 3pm PST.

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