SALEM, Ore. – Earning trips to the free throw line ended up being the difference maker in the Corban University Women's Basketball team's 77-75 victory over the Multnomah Lions earlier tonight on Tim Hills Court, as the Warriors scored 12 of their 19 free throws in the final quarter to secure the series sweep of MU and move into sixth place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings all on their own.
"That was a tight, competitive game and it took a complete forty minutes to earn that win," Corban head coach Bill Pilgeram stated. "Our composure and grit to come back after getting down early shows how much this team is maturing. Free throws were big tonight and turned out to be the difference in the ball game."
Multnomah (5-15, 2-12) entered tonight's contest with nothing to lose at the bottom of the conference standings and truly played with the highest level of intensity of either team for a majority of the afternoon, especially in the opening quarter when the squad couldn't miss from the field. The Lions outscored the Warriors (7-13, 6-8) by seven in the first period of play and led 27-20 entering the second quarter thanks to a 50% field goal percentage, most notably a 5-for-10 mark from beyond the three-point arc and a perfect 4-for-4 at the line.
However, Corban battled back throughout the second period of action and eventually tied the game on two separate occasions, the latter of which would stand to represent the halftime score of 40-40 as each team departed for their respective locker rooms. The Warriors went on a 13-2 scoring run after trailing by as many as 13 points to the Lions, with a three-pointer by freshman guard Autumn Agnew completing the comeback and giving both head coaches plenty to think about as neither team was willing to let this contest get completely out of reach.
The third quarter featured five lead changes and a pair of tied scores in a period where neither program led by more than a single possession, demonstrating how truly battle-tested these two teams have been over the course of the 2023-24 season. Agnew dropped yet another three-pointer to end the period and provide the Warriors with a 63-61 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
It took three quarters of hardnose basketball before both the Warriors and Lions finally hit a wall offensively, as the teams struggled to find the bottom of the basket throughout the fourth quarter and took two minutes of gametime just to net the first points of the period. Corban scored 14 points in total during the fourth quarter, 12 of which came via the free throw line thanks to an abundance of driving play calls to send the Navy and Gold student-athletes to the line.
The Corban defense was also spectacular in the fourth quarter, especially in the post when the Lions finally grew cold from the three-point line and had to find other ways to score. On back-to-back possessions for Multnomah and under a minute to play, sophomore forward Sevennah Van De Riet swatted both shots back into the field of play, the second of which she was able to wrangle and eventually get her teammate to the free throw line as the Warriors clung to a 71-70 lead.
The Lions made one final stand with 13 seconds remaining and in a four-point deficit, as guard Reya Lee forced a three-pointer to pull the Lions within a single point and needing a stop to possibly find a way to steal a game on the road from the Navy and Gold.
However, senior guard Kirsten Koehnke was fouled before even receiving the inbounds pass and sank one of her two attempts to not only give Corban a two-point lead, but more importantly, force the Lions to inbound the ball from the opposite endline of their own basket with just over two seconds remaining and no timeouts. Needless to say, 2.2 seconds was not nearly enough time for Multnomah to set up a play and get off a legitimate buzzer-beater attempt, resulting in the two-point victory for the Warriors.
A 23-2 margin of victory in points scored off turnovers was the saving grace for the Lions tonight after their three-point barrage was put on ice in the second and fourth quarters, while every other notable game-winning statistic was split nearly even across the board. Corban's lone advantage stood in rebounding the ball at a highly efficient level, as the Warriors outrebounded Multnomah 53-34 on the day and secured even four more defensive rebounds than the Lions' total boards.
Agnew quickly found her footing in the second half to lead all players in scoring with a career-high 26 points, breaking her previous all-time mark of 22 points that was set just last night against Warner Pacific University. A trio of Warriors joined Agnew in double-digits, including yet another efficient double-double output by Koehnke who scored 10 points, hauled in 10 rebounds, and dished out five assists.
Lions' guard Savannah Huerta scored a team-high 21 points in 28 minutes of play this afternoon, while forward Gracie Browing was the visiting team's rock in the key with 16 pointsn and a game-high 12 boards. Guard Kaela Stonebarger added 10 points, while guard Kailyn Allison nearly posted a rare double-double in points and steals with nine and seven, respectively.
The Warriors are back on the road next weekend with a trip north of the Oregon border on deck, as they'll make their first stop in Olympia, Washington for a 5:30pm matchup with The Evergreen State College (5-10, 5-8) next Friday.
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