SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University Women's Basketball team finally found their offensive cadence that newly hired head coach Kylie Frizell had been looking for since their season began this past October, as the Warriors converted on over 54% of their field goal attempts for the day to roll past Multnomah by scoring a season-high 92 points compared to just 71 for their Lion counterparts. In addition to their record-high offensive efficiency from across the court, the Warriors splashed 14 shots (of 28 attempts) from beyond the three-point arc, also representing a 2024-25 season-high accomplishment.
"Tonight was a lot of fun, this week we really worked on ball movement and finding the open person on drives, and we were really able to finally connect tonight on that concept," detailed Coach Frizell. "It's pretty cool to see that we assisted on 22 of our 30 made FGs and for five people to score in double-digits. I'm proud of our players to continue to build our identity little by little each game."
The entirety of the opening quarter contained all but two of the lead changes and ties forced for today's matchup, as the Lions (3-6, 1-2) opened up a 21-15 lead after exchanging numerous baskets with the Warriors (4-4, 2-0) and converting on their final two attempts to end the period, each of which scored from three-point range and the final of which was hit at the buzzer.
Rather than folding under the early pressure, the Corban offense rose to the occasion and tied the contest back up at 27-all midway through the second. Despite being able to go shot-for-shot with Multnomah the remainder of the opening half, the Warriors allowed a final two-pointer to drop six seconds from the halftime horn to trail 38-37 at the break.
Scoring the first ten points to open the second half was exactly what the Navy and Gold needed to regain their confidence and power their way to a double-digit victory, outscoring the Lions 55-33 over the final 20 minutes of play to improve to 2-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action through their opening weekend. Five of the Warriors' six field goals for the fourth quarter in which they scored a season-best 30 points came from beyond the arc, while another six points were earned at the free throw stripe after Multnomah attempted a last ditch effort to crawl back into contention by forcing unsuccessful possessions.
After the Warriors utilized the paint much more to their advantage in last night's contest by turning to their forwards more on offensive possessions, senior guard Alyssa Wyllie was cut loose and returned to her team-leading scoring efforts with another 19 points against the Lions, hitting a trio of three-pointers on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Redshirt sophomore guard Jenna Albrecht added 15 points and four assists, sophomore guard Lizzy Bennett scored 13 points with six rebounds, while senior guard Gemma LaVergne and sophomore guard Tayla Yost provided ten points apiece offensively in an all-around scoring effort by the program.
Lions' guard Jersey Huerta provided a majority of the team's offense after letting loose 21 field goal attempts for the contest, converting on nine of those and a free throw for 23 total points, the game-high mark, and assisting on six more buckets. Forward Gracie Browning was the game's lone double-double recipient thanks to 11 points and ten rebounds, while guard Teyah Clark scored 15 points along with three steals and three rebounds.
Coach Frizell and the Warriors now turn their attention to the first of two I-5 rivalry contests to be played out in the month of December, as Bushnell University will journey up the interstate on Friday, December 13th for a 5:30pm tipoff.
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