SALEM, Ore. – In her coaching debut for the Corban University Women's Basketball program, head coach Kylie Frizell drew up a win on their home court to open the 2024-25 regular season and 2024 Corban Classic in style via a 77-68 victory over Simpson University. Coach Frizell's pestering defensive and efficient offensive schemes shined through in her first game at the helm for the Warriors, as her squad rallied in the second and fourth quarters to hold off the RedHawks' multiple comeback bids and kick off the year with a win.
"I am super proud of this team and their resilience in weathering Simpson's multiple runs throughout the game," shared Coach Frizell following her first win as a Warrior. "We shared the ball extremely well and you can see that from having twenty assists to twenty-seven made field goals. I'm excited to keep building with this team!"
It was a tale of two different halves broken up by the first-third and second-fourth quarters for either squad, as the RedHawks (1-1) were able to play efficient basketball to start both halves, yet allowed the Warriors (1-0) to run their offense at will and struggled on their own offensive end of the court to allow the Navy and Gold the opportunity they needed to secure the nine-point win at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
Trading leads on eight different occasions and forcing ten different ties over the four quarters played, Corban was able to take the lead with 4:51 remaining in the second quarter on a three-pointer by junior forward Mandie Jensen and eventually pushed the advantage to as many as 12 points before settling for a 42-32 halftime score.
Slowly but surely, Simpson chipped away at the Warriors' lead over the third quarter, eventually tying the game at 53-all with two minutes remaining in the period. The RedHawks took the lead by one on a jumper from guard Anna Marshall, yet senior guard Alyssa Wyllie split a pair of free throw attempts to see the teams knotted at 57 apiece entering the final quarter.
The Corban offense, specifically senior guard Gemma Lavergne, took over to complete the matchup against Simpson with a 46% field goal percentage and over 66% from beyond the arc throughout the fourth quarter. LaVergne scored 12 of her game-high 23 points off the bench over the final six minutes of gametime and eventually won the game for Corban at the free throw line to ice the RedHawks and clinch the season-opening victory.
Simpson was dominant in the paint (34-20) and in scoring off the Warriors' 24 turnovers with 21 points via Corban miscues, while the Navy and Gold took advantage of their depth with a massive 35-0 advantage in points scored off the bench and 14 points off second chance opportunities.
Providing offensive support to LaVergne tonight was redshirt sophomore guard Jenna Albrecht and sophomore guard Lizzy Bennett, scoring eleven and ten points with nine combined rebounds in Coach Frizell's starting lineup. LaVergne hauled in a team-high seven boards while Albrecht dished out five assists.
For the RedHawks, Marshall tallied 21 points with a game-high six steals defensively, while center Cerina Nguyen registered a 15-point and 10-rebound double-double performance on the road. Guard Natalie Brown and forward Tessa Kinney added 13 and 11 points along with eight and nine rebounds, respectively. The final member of the Simpson starting lineup, guard Zara Dumatol, traded her scoring capabilities for commanding of the offense with a game-best six assists alongside eight points scored.
Coach Frizell and the Warriors will be pushed to the limits tomorrow on Tim Hills Court against undefeated RV Arizona Christian University (3-0) and their multiple NAIA Top 25 victories to start the 2024-25 season, looking to hand the Firestorm their first loss of the season at 3pm in game three of the Corban Classic.
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