PORTLAND, Ore. – The Corban University Women's Basketball team (9-9, 6-6) suffered a setback this evening with a 55-51 loss on the road to the Multnomah University Lions (5-14, 3-10) in an offensively sluggish contest all-around for the Warriors.
"After a subpar first half, I thought we came out and played a very good second half that put us in a comfortable position to win," Corban Head Coach Bill Pilgeram said after his squad's efforts tonight. "Unfortunately, Multnomah made a couple more plays down the stretch than we did."
Pilgeram went on to say, "Road wins are always tough to come by in this conference, and we need to turn around quick and be ready for Warner Pacific tomorrow."
The contest began with two separate runs by each squad, as the Warriors capitalized first to take a slim lead early in the first quarter. However, the Lions countered right before the opening media timeout, jumping out to an 11-7 lead over Corban, looking to add to their lead out of the stoppage.
Much like their first contest at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center earlier this season, Multnomah utilized their forward heavy lineup to their advantage, taking shot after shot in the paint against Corban's guard heavy approach. By the end of the first quarter, the Lions had more than double the number of points in the paint compared to the Warriors, leading 18-11 with a 6-2 turnover margin favoring the home squad as well.
After a lackluster first quarter on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court, the Warriors needed someone to step up to take control of this contest. Enter Corban senior forward Holly Golenor, who led the charge of back-to-back massive blocks on the defensive end, followed by buckets of her own in transition offensively. Before the Warrior Nation fans in attendance knew it, their team now trailed by a single point and all the momentum in their corner.
With Golenor off the court, the Navy and Gold struggled to find their offensive identity, as Multnomah was able to score just enough to keep them at bay. In the final minute of the first half, Coach Pilgeram put Golenor back into the game to force the Lions to guard the post, allowing the Warriors to score from the perimeter and at the free throw line and effectively eradicating their poor shooting performance from the first quarter to trail by only a pair at the halftime break.
Golenor led the Warriors in scoring at the break with 10 points, while Lions' guard Kaela Stonebarger notched nine points for the home squad. Meanwhile, junior guard Kirsten Koehnke once again took it upon herself to play facilitator for the evening, nabbing six rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists through 20 minutes of play.
The Lions once again utilized their size to start the second half, as a quick three-pointer from sophomore guard Gemma LaVergne gave the Warriors a 26-25 lead on the opening possession that was followed by a 7-0 run by Multnomah. The home team carried that drive to the third quarter media timeout, stretching their lead to double digits as the Navy and Gold struggled to find the bottom of the basket and stopping the Lions in transition.
Corban continued to lean on Golenor at the offensive end to stay in this contest, as she grew her game-high point total over the final stretch of the third quarter in an attempt to single-handedly take the Lions down on their home floor.
What was once a double-digit lead was now down to a five-point advantage entering the final quarter of play, with Multnomah growing cold from the field over the final stretch of the third period. Their offensive standstill resulted in an opportunity for Corban to crawl back into this contest, forcing a 42-all tie with just under six minutes to play.
Back-to-back miscues from the Warriors gave Multnomah with the chance to take the lead once again, as the Lions scored on two scoop-and-score plays to hold a narrow 46-42 advantage. However, Golenor found herself on the floor once again as the clock started to wind down at Jim Skagen Court, collecting offensive rebounds and converting on free throw attempts to force another tie at 49-49, with less than a minute remaining.
With the shot clock winding down, Lions guard Elise Graham connected on a jumper within five feet from the basket to give Multnomah a 51-49 advantage, and the Lions came up with a defensive stop on the opposite end to force the Warriors into a fouling/free throw situation. In the end, Multnomah was able to pull through with the 55-51 victory on their home floor after hitting their free throws.
20 total team turnovers and shooting only 32% as a squad doomed the Warriors this evening, as their up-and-down performance wasn't sustainable enough to eke out a road victory over a team with multiple single-digit loses thus far this season.
Try as she might, Golenor's 19 points and four rebounds came up just shy, as she connected on over half of her field goal attempts to lead both teams in scoring. Koehnke finished with 12 rebounds to power Corban off the glass, while LaVergne finished with 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, along with six boards and four assists.
Stonebarger and guard Dalila Rincan led the Lions with 14 points apiece, the latter of which obtained a trio of rebounds and a pair of dimes along the way. Forward Alaygza Portis nabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to give the Lions the opportunities they needed to find their fourth win of the season.
The Warriors return to action tomorrow afternoon back in the Rose City, as they'll battle the Warner Pacific University Knights (1-17, 1-11) at 3pm PST, looking to return home with a victory.
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