SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University Women's Basketball team (4-4, 2-1) battled back for yet another come from behind victory in the second half of today's home contest against the Multnomah University Lions (3-4, 1-2), securing the 76-71 win with multiple Warriors stepping up to the plate when called up.
"It took a whole 40 minutes today and I was really proud of how hard we battled throughout the entire game," Corban Head Coach Bill Pilgeram shared earlier this evening.
"The entire team came to play today, but Maddie really rose above with her leadership on both ends of the court. Alyssa coming off the bench also gave us a big spark offensively that was great for our success tonight," Pilgeram elaborated.
Corban was able to put their opening period offensive woes in the rearview mirror today, as the Warriors and Lions battled back-and-forth over the first quarter to finish with a one-point margin in favor of the Navy and Gold, 17-16, with five different Warriors scoring at least three points.
The Warriors opened a seven-point lead in the first three minutes of the second quarter, reaching the lead by a three-pointer off the bench from sophomore guard Alyssa Wyllie. However, that lead would not stand to last long, as the Lions went on a 15-2 tear to flip the script on Corban.
Multnomah reached the double-digit mark in their lead with 40 seconds remaining in the half, but a jumper from sophomore guard Gemma LaVergne cut into the deficit that the Warriors would need to climb back out of if they wanted to win this game.
Wyllie led the Warriors at the half with nine points, all from three-pointer attempts as she hit 3-of-4 attempts through the first 20 minutes of play. Lions' guard Elise Graham led all players with 15 points through this point in the contest.
Warriors' junior guard Maddie Godwin came alive in the second half, as she kickstarted her offense by making all of her three field goals and adding three assists along the way. Godwin and the Navy and Gold were able to cut their eight-point halftime deficit in half, trailing 54-50 entering the final period of play.
Wyllie and Godwin took turns scoring for Corban through the first five minutes of quarter number four, each of them able to keep the Warriors within striking distance of the Multnomah lead. Senior forward Holly Golenor reentered for the final five minutes, which provided support in the post for the two guards to continue scoring from outside and pass into the paint for Golenor to score her six fourth quarter points.
A layup from Golenor with 3:30 left on the clock sealed the deal for the Warriors, as they were able to hold on to their lead for the remainder of the contest thanks to over half of the fourth quarter points being scored by Godwin.
A career-high 24 points as a member of the Warriors was in store for Godwin tonight, as she hit 50% of her field goal attempts, adding three assists and a pair of rebounds and steals. Golenor completed a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards, the latter of which was a game-high mark.
Wyllie finished her scorching hot evening from beyond the arc with 15 points, connecting on four of her six three-pointer attempts. Junior guard Kirsten Koehnke tallied 11 points and eight rebounds to go with her four assists in an all-around effort.
The Lions saw a pair of guards in Graham and Shaila Mays each score a game-high 26 points, responsible for over two-thirds of Multnomah's scoring today. They each had five rebounds, while Mays nabbed an impressive six steals.
The Corban Women's Basketball team will take another turn to the non-conference slate for their CCC week-long break, as they are set to host NCAA DIII Pacific University next Wednesday at 12pm PST for the Annual Field Trip game, where the team will be welcoming hundreds of elementary school kids for their contest.
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