Freshman Tara Vanweerdhuizen was perfect from the field, as she helped lead Corban to a wire-to-wire win over CCC rival Northwest Christian.
Shooting Record Falls in Corban Win Over NCU
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Freshman Tara Vanweerdhuizen set a single-game school-record for shooting percentage hitting a perfect 9-for-9 from the field en route to scoring a career-high 24 points, as Corban's women's basketball team ended 2011 with a 61-50 win over Northwest Christian Friday inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
With tonight's win, Corban pushes its season-high winning streak to five games improving to 9-4 overall and 4-1 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Northwest Christian falls to 8-9 overall and remains winless in league games at 0-5.
Playing within the services of three-time All-CCC 1st team member and senior Katie Steigleman due to an injury, the Warriors rode the shooting of Vanweerdhuizen and junior Tess Bennett. The Vanweerdhuizen-Bennett duo combined to shoot 16-for-20 from the field, as Bennett added 18 points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds by Vanweerdhuizen. Senior Becky Buhler chipped in with six points hitting a pair of three-pointers, while junior Alison Evans and a host of Warriors added three and two points, respectively.
In a tightly-contested game over the opening three minutes, Corban pulled away from the visiting Beacons thanks to a 7-2 run over a span of two-plus minutes en route to grabbing a seven-point lead (12-5) following a jumper by Bennett with 14:50 on the clock. The host Warriors would continue to add to their lead over the final 14-plus minutes, as Corban closed out the opening half with a 14-point lead (33-19) when freshman Haley Holboke hit a jumper in the final seconds.
The second half would see Corban secure another 14-point lead (36-22) on an old-fashion three-point play by Vanweerdhuizen in the opening minute. Over the next 11 minutes, Northwest Christian would use a 24-14 run to pull within four points (50-46) on a lay-in by Lindsey Shearer with just over eight minutes remaining. Fortunately for Corban, a quick 11-0 run in a span of five-plus minute would turn out to be the dagger in the Beacons' coffin thanks to a 15-point advantage (61-46) for Corban with 2:37 on the clock. Northwest Christian would score the game's final four points, but it was too little, too late for the Beacons as the host Warriors held on for an 11-point win (61-50).
Northwest Christian would get a team-high 13 points from Aly Bruns, while Katie Collins added nine points and Shearer chipped in with eight points, six rebounds, and six assists. Martha Taylor would come off the Beacons' bench to also grab a team-high six rebounds, while Shearer also registered a game-high tying four steals.
As a team, Corban combined to shoot 24-for-58 (41.4%) from the field that included a 2-for-22 (9.1%) showing from beyond the three-point line and an 11-for-14 (78.6%) performance at the free throw line. On the other hand, Northwest Christian was 17-for-53 (32.1%) from the field, 5-for-19 (26.3%) from long distance, and 11-for-18 (61.1%) at the charity stripe.
Corban will return to the hardwood for its final non-conference game of the season on Monday, January 2nd, against NCAA Division III member Pacific Lutheran beginning at 6:00 p.m. inside the Olson Gymnasium in Tacoma, Washington.