PORTLAND, Ore. – Despite trailing for a majority of tonight's contest, the "never quit" mentality that the Corban University Women's Basketball team showed tonight was exactly what they needed to slowly climb themselves back into contention and earn a hard-fought road win to begin Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play, securing a 68-65 victory over the Multnomah Lions in the conference opener for the Warriors.
"This was a great win on the road for us," Corban head coach Bill Pilgeram stated. "After a rough first quarter, they showed a ton of perseverance and kept battling back in the second half. We played great defense after the first quarter and finally got some momentum offensively in the second half. Mandie and Lolo each hit crucial threes in the fourth quarter to get us into the lead."
Facing a double-digit deficit entering the halftime break due to a forgettable first quarter in which the Warriors (2-4, 1-0) scored 14 points but allowed 27 to the Lions (2-3, 0-2), followed by a combined 16-point second quarter for both programs that resulted in a 34-23 advantage for the home team. Multnomah led by as many as 15 points in the opening quarter and seemed to have the recipe for success figured out against the Navy and Gold.
However, thanks to a 7-0 run to kick off the second half, the Warriors found themselves right back in this ballgame and all the momentum on their sideline. What was once a double-digit lead quickly crumbled for the Lions, as they eventually saw their advantage squandered midway through the fourth quarter when junior guard Alyssa Wyllie hit a much needed three-pointer thanks to an assist from senior guard Maddie Godwin.
One minute later, sophomore forward Mandie Jensen cashed in from beyond the arc to grow the Corban lead to five points, while Godwin increased the lead to the largest of the night for the Warriors by converting on all three free throws after being fouled while attempting a three-pointer.
The Lions tried utilizing the fouling game throughout the final two minutes to crawl their way back into contention, but the Warriors were able to hit just enough of their free throws and avoided a last second heave by Multnomah to hang on for the three-point victory.
Godwin tied the game-high scoring mark with 24 points tonight, adding five assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes played by one of the Warriors' senior leaders. Junior forward Madison Hodnett and freshman guard Lizzy Bennett each added 11 points, while freshman guard Autumn Agnew fell just one board shy of her first career double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds tonight.
Lions' guard Savannah Huerta played all but one minute of tonight's contest, scoring 24 points and securing three rebounds. The Multnomah starting lineup played 75% of the total minutes tonight, with guards Mia Martineau and Kailyn Allison scoring 18 and 11 points, respectively.
Conference play continues in Portland tomorrow for Corban women's basketball, as Warner Pacific University (3-1, 2-0) will host the Warriors at 3pm PT.
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