PORTLAND, Ore. – A late flurry of offense from the host institution tonight saw the Corban University Women's Basketball team's winning streak snapped on the road in the Rose City, where the Warriors saw their halftime lead evaporate and drop a 79-72 decision to the Multnomah Lions in their final regular season matchup in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) history.
"Tonight was a tough one," began Corban head coach Kylie Frizell. "We came out hot in the first quarter and then after that couldn't get into a rhythm on the defensive end. One of our biggest obstacles right now is taking care of the ball. We had sixteen turnovers tonight to a team that didn't pressure us much. I'm confident in this group though to make the necessary changes for tomorrow as we prepare for Warner Pacific."
A hearty presence in the paint combined with a starting unit that hardly ever leaves the court, the Lions (6-13, 4-9) utilized their home court advantage to a maximum behind 76 points out of their five starters, with just three points off the bench needed to hold off the Warriors (8-11, 6-7) who had established a lengthy first half lead before Multnomah came roaring back in the second half.
Leading by as many as 14 points with 8:39 remaining in the second quarter, the Navy and Gold offense began to sputter over the final minutes of the opening half, allowing the Lions to steadily crawl back into contention and trail by just four at the halftime stoppage. The Warriors shot their lowest field goal percentage in a single quarter in the second, with their third quarter being almost as inconsistent while Multnomah's continued to increase as the contest developed.
By the end of the third quarter, Corban's momentum had all but disappeared altogether with the Lions leading by five points, yet multiple baskets by senior guard Alyssa Wyllie kept the Warriors within striking distance and even provided her squad with a one-point lead with just under five minutes remaining.
However, the Lions' converted on their two trips down the court to retake the lead for the final time, eventually clinching the seven-point home win at the free throw line to snap their own seven-game losing skid and earn a sixth win overall in the Corban versus Multnomah history book.
Wyllie completed her evening with a team-best 14 points, ten of which came in the fourth quarter alone, while snagging a trio of rebounds and dishing out three assists. Redshirt junior guard Tori Younker and redshirt sophomore guard Jenna Albrecht each scored ten points and combined for seven boards, with Albrecht matching Wyllie with three assists.
The CCC's leading scorer in guard Jersey Huerta dropped a game-high 28 points with five rebounds and five assists, while guard Ellie Robertson and forward Gracie Browning tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively. Browning registered a double-double outing with ten rebounds on the night alongside five assists, with the trio of Lions combining for 61 of their 79 total points.
The Warriors will return to PDX tomorrow afternoon for their final regular season matchup of 2024-25 against Warner Pacific University (7-12, 4-9) at 3pm in C.C. Perry Gymnasium.
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