LEWISTON, Idaho – The Corban University Women's Basketball team's (12-17) season came to an unfortunate end at the hands of No. 10-ranked Lewis-Clark State College (27-2) earlier this evening, as the No. 2-seeded Warriors downed the No. 7-seeded Warriors - in a clear statement victory to open the quarterfinal round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament.
"Not the way we wanted to end our season, but I couldn't be prouder of the group I was blessed to coach this year," Warriors' Head Coach Bill Pilgeram shared for the final game of the 2022-23 season. "They did everything with class, unity, positivity, and representing Corban in every way possible."
After finishing the regular season with an identical record to No. 1-seeded Eastern Oregon University and sharing the Regular Season Championship, Lewis-Clark State had a mission on their hands to meet the Mountaineers in the championship round of the CCC Playoffs, and made their cause known by putting on an absolute clinic against Corban.
LC State started the contest exactly how they finished the previous two battles between the Warrior squads, forcing turnovers on the first three Corban possessions and converting on their first three opportunities to quickly earn a 6-0 advantage on their home floor. The visiting Warriors finally got on the board multiple possessions into the game with a three-pointer from redshirt freshman Tori Younker, but the hometown Warriors still led 12-3 at the first media timeout.
Despite scoring 14 opening period points, the Navy and Gold still trailed by double the amount they managed to tally, as Lewis-Clark State jumped out to an impressive 28-14 lead by shooting over 64% from the field. Six first quarter period turnovers also doomed Corban from the start, giving LC State nine easy points on breakaway opportunities.
The difference between the regular season contests between LC State and Corban was a single quarter, with the Navy and Gold holding their own offensively through most of each game. However, the shots just weren't falling tonight for the road Warriors, scoring just six second quarter points compared to another 24 for the hosts to trail by 32 points at the half, 32-20.
Junior guard Maddie Godwin and Younker each had six points apiece for Corban at the break, with no other teammates even above four points individually. Meanwhile, two players for Lewis-Clark State were in double-digits on their own, as guard Hannah Broyles and forward Maddie Holm had 27 combined points to outscore the entire Corban lineup by seven in the first half.
The relentless barrage of three-pointers and full court press from LC State didn't end to start the second half, yet Corban held steady with their 32-point deficit at the third quarter media timeout, now 60-28 with roughly 15 minutes to play.
The combination of Holm and Broyles continued to lay it on offensively over the final five minutes of the third quarter, leading 69-35 with one final period of play in Corban's final game of the 2022-23 season.
Their shooting percentage finally came back down to realistic levels over the second half, yet the hometown Warriors still finished the game well over 45% and outscored Corban for the fourth-straight quarter to take a - victory, advance to the semifinal round of the CCC Tournament, and send the Navy and Gold home for the remainder of the year.
Lewis-Clark State did everything right in their smackdown tonight, leading in every statistic when Corban just didn't have it going offensively or defensively on the court. LC State made the decision to make a statement to the rest of the conference over the extremely young Navy and Gold roster, and it came through clear and concise over the course of all four quarters.
Godwin was the lone Corban student-athlete in double-figure scoring, logging 13 points and adding four rebounds. Younker tallied six points and a team-high seven rebounds, while senior forward Holly Golenor closed out her collegiate career with six points and five rebounds.
LC State had four different players in double digits this evening, led by Holm's 20 points and six rebounds. Broyles finished with 17 points and four assists, while all student-athletes to reach the floor for the hometown team logged at least one rebound in their 45-34 rebounding advantage.
The Corban Women's Basketball team finishes their season with a 12-17 overall record, earning themselves a spot in the CCC Tournament after a one-year hiatus from the postseason. They graduate two student-athletes in senior forwards Golenor and Josie Beaton, returning 10 underclassmen and three juniors that will look to build upon their year of experience together and make a run at a possible 2024 CCC Championship banner.
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