COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. – Last season, the Corban University Women's Basketball team suffered their first-ever loss to a Walla Walla University program that continues to get better every single season. Today, the Warriors bounced back to their historic dominance of the Wolves with a much needed 58-47 road victory at Windemuth Court, snapping a three-game losing streak as they head back to Salem for one final non-conference matchup on Monday morning.

"The team stayed the course, played through the runs in the game, and finished the game really well," Warriors' head coach Bill Pilgeram explained shortly after their late-night win. "We had multiple people make big contributions, which is what we need moving forward in this competitive conference."

After a 36-point loss last night to No. 7-ranked Lewis-Clark State on the road, the Warriors (3-7, 2-3) hopped out on the positive side of a 15-8 first quarter lead, where the offensively stacked Wolves (5-5, 2-3) struggled to find any consistency against Corban's zone defense and hit just 20% of their field goal attempts through the opening ten minutes of action.

With Walla Walla having gotten off to one of their best starts to a season in program history heading into tonight's contest, the Navy and Gold knew it wouldn't be easy if they wanted to end their road trip on a victory, especially after the Wolves emerged out of the first quarter break on a 12-0 run. The Warriors were able to regain their composure and lead by two at halftime, 29-27, but the explosiveness of this Walla Walla lineup was now on full display and ready to pounce once again at a moment's notice.

The Navy and Gold continued to battle back-and-forth with the Wolves throughout the second half, with multiple lead changes and ties occurring before the fourth quarter even began. Neither team was able to secure a double-digit lead through 35 minutes of play thus far, as defensive pressure on both sides of the court was a legitimate issue for those who came to watch an offensive showdown tonight in College Place.

However, with under two minutes remaining, redshirt sophomore guard Tori Younker splashed a wide-open three-pointer to give the Warriors a 55-45 lead, needing just a couple of defensive stops to avenge their 2022-23 season loss on the road to Walla Walla. On the very next possession, freshman guard Autumn Agnew sent a Wolves' shot attempt flying in a massive stoppage, followed by a transition three by freshman guard Lizzy Bennett that sealed a huge road victory for the Corban.

Agnew and senior guard Maddie Godwin each tallied 13 points tonight for the team-best scoring mark, with Godwin contributing offensively in the assist column as well with five dimes. Senior guard Kirsten Koehnke dealt out six assists and hauled in seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Sevennah Van De Riet led the Warriors in the post for the second-straight game by bringing down eight more boards.

Wolves' guard Jaliyah Casem secured the game-high mark in scoring with 16 points, adding a trio of rebounds and assists as well. Forward Chariah Daniels was unstoppable off the glass with 14 rebounds, yet struggled offensively by converting on only three field goals and contributed six points to the Walla Walla offensive output.

Prior to the start of the holiday break, the Warriors will return home for a non-conference matchup with Linfield University this upcoming Monday for the program's annual Field Trip game. Hundreds of elementary school kids will pack the general admission half of the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center for a one-of-a-kind experience at Tim Hills Court, which is scheduled to begin at 12pm.

Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Snapchat l YouTube l Email

Download our App: iOS (iPhone/iPad) l Android