Senior Katie Steigleman returned from a six-game absence due to an injury scoring a game-high 28 points in Corban's come-from-behind win Sunday over Northwest.
Steigleman's Return Leads Corban to Come-From-Behind Win
BOX SCORE
KIRKLAND, Wash. – After missing six games with a knee injury, senior Katie Steigleman returned with a bang scoring a game-high 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field in 27 minutes of action to help lead the NAIA's No. 15-ranked Corban to a come-from-behind win, 63-51, over Northwest Sunday inside NU Pavilion.
The 5-foot-11 senior forward had been out of action since the end of last year after suffering a knee injury on December 28th against NCAA Division I member Portland State. Since her injury, Steigleman has watched as her teammates went 5-1 and vaulted back into the national rankings and into a tie for first place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings.
With tonight's win, Corban improves to 14-5 overall and 8-2 in CCC play. Meanwhile, Northwest falls to 8-10 overall and 4-6 in league games.
Along with Steigleman, freshman Tara Vanweerdhuizen tallied 11 points, a game-high 18 rebounds, and a single-game program record nine blocked shots. Junior Emily Tsugawa also registered nine points and four assists, while senior Becky Buhler and junior Tess Bennett added eight points each. Senior Shayla Fetters would account for two of the Warriors' 63 points, while handing out a game-high five assists to go along with four rebounds.
After shooting just 6-for-34 (17.6%) from the field in the first half and trailing by 14 points (30-16) at halftime, Corban mounted a ferocious second half comeback that included Steigleman scoring 16 of her 28 points over the final twenty minutes en route to earning the come-from-behind win.
In the first half, both teams traded buckets over the opening minute until the score was knotted at 2-2 with 18:50 on the clock. Over the next nine-plus minutes, Northwest used a 15-1 run en route earning a 14-point lead (17-3) on an Ashley Coila lay-in with 9:28 remaining. Despite trailing by double digits, Corban attempted to mount a first-half comeback using an 11-4 run over a span of six minutes to pull within five points (19-14) on a Steigleman jumper at the 3:40 mark. Unfortunately, Northwest would close out the opening half with an 11-2 run to take a 14-point advantage (30-16) into the locker room.
The second half would begin with Northwest pushing its lead to a game-high 19 points (35-19), as the Eagles scored the opening five points capped by a Emily Drivstuen three-pointer with 19:25 left. Over the next six-plus minutes, Corban would use a game-altering 17-1 run to knot the game at 36-36 following a three-pointer by Steigleman with just under 13 minutes remaining. Over the next three-and-a-half minutes, Northwest would use a 6-0 run en route to earning a 42-36 lead on a pair of Jessalyn Jackson free throws with 10:29 on the clock only to watch Corban go on a 7-0 run to take a one-point lead (43-42) thanks to a Vanweerdhuizen lay-in with 9:01 left. Northwest would tied the game at 43-43 on a Domi Mendezona free throw with 7:14 on the clock before Steigleman hit another three-pointer that gave Corban the lead for good at 46-43 with just over six minutes left. Over the game's final six minutes, the visiting Warriors would use a closing 17-8 run en route to securing the come-from-behind win, 63-51.
Northwest was led offensively by Jackson with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Mendezona was the only other Eagle in double figures with 11 points. Coila would aid Jackson on the boards with 10 rebounds, while Mendezona and Coila would hand out a team-high three assists each.
As a team, Corban combined to shoot 21-for-68 (30.9%) from the field to go along with a 9-for-25 (36.0%) showing from beyond the three-point line and a 12-for-14 (85.7%) performance at the free throw line. On the other hand, Northwest was 15-for-70 (21.4%) from the field that included a 4-for-34 (11.8%) showing in the second half. The Eagles were also a combined 4-for-18 (22.2%) from long distance and 17-for-27 (63.0%) at the charity stripe.
Both teams will return to action tomorrow – Monday, January 23rd – with Corban traveling to Olympia to take on Evergreen and Northwest hosting Northwest Christian in Kirkland. Each game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 p.m.