ASHLAND, Ore. – Despite ending the 22023-24 regular season on a six-game losing skid, the Corban University Women's Basketball program was able to ride the consistency of their first-half schedule into the postseason for the second-consecutive year. Their most recent win at Northwest University proved to be the difference maker in clinching a playoff spot on the final day of conference play, which gave them a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage and staved off comeback bids from three-different Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) programs looking to oust them from a postseason bid.

To access the 2023-24 CCC Women's Basketball Tournament Championship page, click HERE.

The following schedule depicts the CCC Tournament Quarterfinal matchups, with the higher seed hosting each contest:

• #8 Corban University at #1 Southern Oregon University
• #7 The Evergreen State College at #2 Oregon Tech
• #6 College of Idaho at #3 Lewis-Clark State College
• #5 Bushnell University at #4 Eastern Oregon University

After a nearly flawless season, No. 6-ranked LC State was swept on the road for the first time in multiple seasons to prevent them from claiming a coveted back-to-back-to-back conference regular season championship. After being upset by No. 25-ranked OIT this past Friday, it opened the door for a "Winner Take All" matchup in the final regular season game of the season against No. 22-ranked Southern Oregon, where the Raiders hit a go-ahead basket with just over a second remaining to clinch their first conference crown since 2015-16.

After playing catchup to Lewis-Clark State and Oregon Tech for nearly the entire season, the Raiders (24-4, 20-2) were able to capture the regular season title and home-court advantage through the CCC playoffs thanks to an extremely potent offensive scheme and determined defensive gameplan throughout the second half of the conference campaign, as they're currently riding a fourteen-game winning streak into the postseason.

The Warriors (8-20, 7-15) have had a rough go of it offensively during their six-game losing streak, having been held to under 70 points in every game since late January, while allowing an average of just under 75 points per game in the same span. However, despite their recent struggles, opponent composition should be taken into consideration when comparing their lopsided scoring margin, which featured five-straight higher seeded teams to end their season, including three-straight games against the conference's nationally ranked programs.

A point of emphasis for Warriors' head coach Bill Pilgeram and his staff over the next day and some change will be taking their matchup with SOU one quarter at a time. In their previous two matchups this season, Southern Oregon utilized dominant first and second quarters to coast to the finish line in double-digit blowout victories. The third and fourth quarters were much closer in scoring and in potential upset factor for the Warriors, who outscored the Raiders in both of their final periods of play this season.

In Southern Oregon's four losses thus far this season, their opponents have utilized a heavy dose of second chance opportunities in their own front court to outscore the conference's fifth-highest scoring offense, which can be troublesome given the Raiders' No. 1-ranked defense in the CCC. If the Warriors want to keep their season alive and post the biggest upset on the west coast this year, they'll need to do so by breaking the trend of a negative scoring differential and guard both the paint and three-point line with consistency, seeing as the Raiders can choose to shoot at will from any spot on the court.

That being said, the Raiders certainly have their own set of weaknesses that can be exploited around the floor, as Corban wouldn't be the first unranked team to upend SOU this season after experiencing a 55-52 road loss to Jessup University back in early December. When Southern Oregon experiences early struggles within a contest, the scoreboard becomes more foe than friend, as less than of their victories this season have come with a second half deficit intact, whereas only one of their losses occurred after securing a halftime advantage.

The Warriors' dynamic duo of senior guard Maddie Godwin (16.1 PPG) and freshman guard Autumn Agnew (12.3) will need to kickstart the offense early and often Tuesday evening in order for Corban to complete the first round exit of SOU, as the Washington natives each average double-digit scoring on the year but have struggled to find their consistency on the court at the same time for a handful of contests this season. For the Raiders, expect reigning CCC Player of the Week, guard Meghan McIntyre, to attempt her fair share of scoring from the perimeter after scoring at least 20 points in her last two home games to end the regular season. Guard Sierra Scheppele also lit the Warriors up from distance the last time these two teams met in Ashland, setting a new program record in three-pointers made with eleven field goals.

Scoring in the paint has been a rollercoaster of a ride for Corban women's basketball all season long, as their early season struggles in the key were quickly eradicated in their opening conference games, only to then find inconsistencies once again over the back half of the season. If the Warriors want to win the battle in the blocks and deny CCC Player of the Year candidate Kami Walk (14.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG) from pushing her and her team into the tournament semifinal round, junior forward Madison Hodnett and freshman guard Lizzy Bennett will need to stretch the floor quickly and without hesitation before making their moves deep into the paint to establish easy buckets under the rim.

The winner of the conference tournament will receive the conference's second automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament, which will begin on March 15th with the Opening Rounds, set to be hosted at various campus sites around the NAIA. Should the Raiders claim the CCC Tournament title, the second automatic bid would go to the tournament runner-up.

Live video for tomorrow's quarterfinal matchup between the Warriors and Raiders will be made available HERE, while live stats can be viewed HERE.

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