Junior Monique Tribble scored in double figures for the second straight game, while pulling down a season-high in rebounds tonight against Whitman.
Game-High in Points by Corban's Steigleman Not Enough in Loss to Whitman
BOX SCORE
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Despite a game-high 22 points by freshman Katie Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) on 9-for-13 shooting from the field, Corban's women's basketball team dropped the finale of the Kim Evanger Raney Classic to classic-host Whitman, 73-65, Saturday inside the Sherwood Center.
Closing out the second annual Kim Evanger Raney Memorial Classic, Corban went toe-to-toe with classic-host Whitman looking to end a mini one-game skid. Unfortunately, the Warriors ran into an unbeaten Missionary squad that was riding an early three-game winning streak.
In the opening two minutes of the game, Corban used an 8-2 run to earn an early six-point advantage behind a pair of three-pointers by senior Kailey Bostwick (Medford, Ore.) and Steigleman to go along with a jumper from junior Monique Tribble (Coquille, Ore.). Unfortunately, Whitman used a 6-0 run over a span of 81 seconds to tie the game at 8-all with 16:59 remaining in the opening half. After Steigleman tied the game at 10-10 via a lay-up with 15:43 showing on the clock, Whitman used an 8-0 run that was highlighted by four points each by the Missionaries' Rebecca Sexton and Jenele Peterson to grab an 18-10 lead with 13:28 left in the first half. Using a never-say-die attitude, Corban battle back via a 10-2 run over a span of four minutes and 50 seconds to knot the game for the third time at 20-all via a three-pointer by freshman Becky Buhler (Clackamas, Ore.) with 8:38 showing on the clock. Whitman would grab its largest lead of the opening half (33-28) with 13 ticks left on the clock before sophomore Ashlee Jensen (Yuba City, Calif.) hit a jumper with two seconds remaining, as the teams entered the locker room with the host Missionaries clinging to a slim three-point advantage (33-30) at the half.
In the second half, Corban used an opening 9-5 run to grab a one-point lead (39-38) after a Steigleman lay-up with 17:34 left in the game. Both teams would battle over the next four-plus minutes, as Bostwick handed Corban its final lead of the game (49-48) via a jumper with 13:16 remaining in the contest. The Warriors would relinquish the lead within the next minute and then would not get any closer than one point (59-58) following a Steigleman jumper with just under five minutes left in the game. Ten Whitman free throws along with a lay-in by Elle Vertatschitsch over the final four-plus minutes would be the difference, as the host Missionaries pushed its lead to as much as eight points for the final margin of 73-65.
Along with Steigleman's game-high scoring performance, Tribble was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Buhler, Bostwick, and sophomore Jennesa Miller (Mica, Wash.) added 8, 7, and 7 points respectively to go along with freshman Joani Reimer's (Ferndale, Wash.) seven-rebound performance.
Whitman was led by Michelle Krall's team-high 20 points, while Sexton added 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Two other Missionaries -- Hilary White and Peterson -- poured in 13 and 11 points respectively, while White aided Sexton on the boards with six rebounds.
As a team, the Warriors shot 22-for-52 (42.3%) from the field that included 7-for-20 (35.0%) from beyond the three-point line and 14-for-18 (77.8%) from the free throw line. On the other hand, Whitman was 21-for-53 (39.6%) from the field to go along with a 2-for-15 (13.3%) performance from beyond the arc and a 29-for-35 (82.9%) showing at the free throw line.
With the loss, Corban falls to 2-4 overall, while Whitman remains undefeated at 4-0 overall this season. The Warriors return to the floor on Friday, December 5th, when they open Cascade Collegiate Conference play against the Geoducks of The Evergreen State College beginning at 5:30 p.m. inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.