Freshman Katie Steigleman tallied a game-high 24 points tonight against the Beacons of Northwest Christian.
Northwest Christian Uses Second Half Run in Victory Over Corban Despite Steigleman Game-High
SALEM, Ore. – Freshman Katie Steigleman (Eugene, Ore.) scored a game-high 24 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field, but it was not enough as Corban's women's basketball team fell to the Beacons of Northwest Christian, 57-54, Friday evening inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
“We have not been playing very well,” commented tenth-year head coach Terry Williams. “We have been turning the ball over too many times, and this is a team that we shouldn’t have had anymore than 10-11 turnovers, and we ended up with 23. [Along with too many turnovers,] we also made our own mistakes, and that has been our main problem these last couple of games, and until we fix that and our turnovers, we are going to continue to struggle.”
Out of the gate, Corban used a 21-8 run to take a 13-point lead, thanks to all five starters with at least two-points a piece, including senior Kailey Bostwick’s (Medford, Ore.) seven. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Beacons would regroup, and come out firing over the preceding 7:45 to slash the once 13-point Corban lead to a minimal one-point lead (24-23), thanks to a 16-3 run, with only 5:36 left in the half. Luckily for the Warriors, the Beacon run would end there, as a three-point play from senior Ashley Connell (Spokane, Wash.) and a jumper from Steigleman would give them a three-point lead going into the half (29-26).
In the second half, the Beacons would come out with a winning mindset, as they grabbed their first lead of the night (30-29) only 1:53 into the second half. The visiting Beacons would continue to add the pressure until sophomore Jennesa Miller (Mica, Wash.) took the game to all-square (31-31) via a mid-range jumper with 17:12 showing on the clock. Over the next 8:41, both teams seemingly traded shot-for-shot, until Northwest Christian pulled out to a five-point lead (42-37) with 8:31 left in regulation. A pair of free-throws and a deep three-pointer from Steigleman would knot the game at 44-all with only 6:20 left. From there, the Beacons would go on a quick 7-0 run over just 75 seconds to take their largest lead of the game (51-44) with 5:05 showing on the scoreboard. Using their never-say-never attitude, the Warriors would battle back, thanks to a three-pointer and jumper from Steigleman to bring the Beacon lead to a mere one point (55-54) with 47 seconds left in the game. Coming out from a timeout, the Beacons drew up a play that let Calie McVicker score a lay-up with only 19 seconds left and therefore allow the home team one final shot at tying the game and forcing overtime. Unfortunately, a late Warrior turnover would seal the deal, as the visiting Beacons of Northwest Christian would escape with the slim three-point win, 57-54.
Along with Steigleman’s game-high in points, Bostwick and Connell added seven point each to go along with Miller and junior Monique Tribble (Coquille, Ore.) who contributed with six points apiece. On the boards, Steigleman pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds en route to registering her fifth double-double of the season. The first-year Warrior was aided by Connell and Tribble, who pulled down nine and five boards respectively. Assist-wise, Bostwick handed out a game-high eight dimes for the Warriors to go along with Connell and Tribble’s three steals each.
When asked about Steigleman's double-double, Williams said, “It was a great comeback game for Steigleman, she had been struggling lately and it was good to see her starting to hit her stride again.”
Northwest Christian was led by McKenzie Gambee’s team-high 21 points, while McVicker and Jenneca Crocker added 11 and 8 points respectively. Gambee also pulled down a team-best six rebounds, while Jacquie Lipp handed out a team-high six assists for the victorious Beacons.
As a team, Corban shot 21-for-54 (38.9%) from the field that included a 3-for-18 (16.7%) showing from beyond the three-point line and a 9-for-14 (64.3%) performance from the free throw line. On the other hand, Northwest Christian was 20-for-46 (43.5%) from the field while registering a 5-for-13 (38.5%) showing from the beyond the arc and a 12-for-16 (75.0%) performance from the charity stripe.
With the loss, Corban falls to 8-12 overall and 4-8 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Northwest Christian improves to 7-13 overall and 2-9 in CCC action. The Warriors are back in action on Friday, January 30th, when they travel to the state of Washington to take on the Eagles of Northwest beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Kirkland.