SALEM, Ore. – Fighting off multiple deficits and trailing by as many as ten points, the Corban University Women's Basketball fought through adversity and snagged their third Cascade Collegiate Conference victory of the season to kick off the new year in style via a 96-91 overtime win over Northwest University.
"This was a game of runs and we did a very good job of playing through them," Warriors' head coach Bill Pilgeram shared after an electrifying contest. "We had a variety of people contribute at different times which also showed our depth. Kirsten getting a triple-double was an outstanding versatile individual performance. I'm looking forward to seeing us build on the momentum of this win in another tough CCC battle tomorrow."
Thanks to a highly efficient shot selection in the first quarter, the Warriors (4-8, 3-3) were able to stave off another sloppy turnover margin to settle for a 20-20 draw through ten minutes of play, as seven miscues allowed the Eagles (1-10, 1-5) to score seven of their 20 points off turnovers. By the end of the battle, Northwest owned a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers, which allowed the Eagles to keep up with Corban's 22 second chance points.
The second quarter was one of many periods involving back-and-forth runs for each team, with NU eventually owning a 20-10 span over the final five minutes before the halftime horn sounded to own a 49-39 lead at the break. Guard Maya DuChesne was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 16 points in the opening 20 minutes alone and converting on four of five three-pointers.
Despite a ten-point deficit amid what had seemed to transition into a three-point shootout, The Warriors exploded out of the locker room and kept pace with Northwest until the 2:47 mark, where Corban kicked off a 10-0 run to swap lead changes once again in a game that featured nine different leaderboard transitions.
However, the Eagles refused to allow their double-digit advantage slip through their feathers in a must-win contest for both of these programs in the midst of a conference standing battle, as the Corban offense grew cold over the final quarter and allowed NU to crawl back into contention and feature over half of the lead changes over the final three minutes of regulation.
With 29 seconds remaining, Warriors' senior guard Maddie Godwin scooted through traffic in a two-point deficit and threw a prayer of a layup into the hoop, tying the contest at 75-all and giving the Eagles possession with 26 seconds and a timeout to draw up a game-winning play.
Northwest found the result they were looking for, but unfortunately for the Eagle fans in attendance this evening, they left nine seconds on the scoreboard for Corban to formulate a play of their own. Freshman guard Autumn Agnew threw up a baseline jumper with four seconds and dwindling, but freshman guard Lizzy Bennett was under the basket to save the day, hauling in the offensive board and draw a foul prior to the horn expiring.
With ice in her veins, Bennett splashed both of her free throw attempts, and the Eagles' half-court heave fell short, sending this game to an expected overtime period, the Warriors' second-consecutive extra-time matchup on their home court.
To kick off the overtime session, Godwin drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc while Northwest struggled to relocate their offense, allowing Corban to jump out to a seven-point lead and utilize the free throw game down the stretch to secure the comeback bid earlier this evening.
In storybook fashion, senior guard Kirsten Koehnke clinched the first triple-double of her career with the final two free throw attempts of the evening, allowing her to become the first Warrior since 2021 to reach double-digit numbers in three different statistical categories. Koehnke finished with 10 points, 10 assists, and 12 rebounds in the most perfect definition of a well-rounded performance.
Koehnke wasn't the only member of the Navy and Gold to hit a milestone tonight, as Bennett posted career-high numbers in both points (17) and rebounds (10) to lock down her first career double-double in the post, easily her best collegiate performance to date as she dominated the key both offensively and defensively with a pair of Eagle' shots swatted into the stands.
Godwin's 26-point showing is the second of such this season, tying her career-high best offensive output by connecting on over 40% of her field goal attempts (9-for-21). Agnew pitched in 12 more points in her fourth-consecutive true freshman start, while junior guard Alyssa Wyllie nearly clinched her own double-double with nine points and eight boards.
DuChesne concluded her complete game effort with a team-high 20 points, adding a trio of rebounds, assists, and steals with a 50% field goal percentage. Guard Katie Fleming matched DuChesne's consistency with 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while guard Kyrin Baklund played the role of both scorer and point guard with a 16-point and seven-assist performance. Four more Eagles were in double-digit scoring thanks to an all-around evening by the visiting team, keeping the Warriors on their heels through all five periods.
The Navy and Gold are back in action tomorrow afternoon at Tim Hills Court, as they'll host The Evergreen State College Geoducks (2-6, 2-4) at 3pm PT as they continue their push towards the midway point of the 2023-24 season.
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