Knights Earn Key Victory Over #10 Corban
BOX SCORE
PORTLAND, Ore. – Warner Pacific moved into a tie for first place atop the CCC standings with a 63-49 upset win over #10 Corban on senior night at C.C. Perry Gym.
The host Knights (19-8, 13-3) won their eighth game in a row and now share the CCC lead with the Warriors, who had a nine game winning streak snapped and fall to 19-6 and 13-3 in conference tilts.
WP started slowly and Corban took advantage by running out a 5-0 lead in the first three minutes. The Knights responded however, and sprinted out to a 19-12 lead with 7:25 on the clock. Later, Elizabeth Downs converted a three point play to bring Corban back with a single bucket (23-21), but Nichole Jackson hit a running layup to send WP into the break with a 25-21 lead.
Warner Pacific methodically pulled away in the second period, and moved their advantage up to double digits (36-26) after a Chelsey Christensen score at the 13:27 mark. The margin reached as many as 16 (55-39) as the Warriors struggled to find the range from the floor, shooting just 10 of 27 in the half. The Knights were not much better, hitting just 9 of 25 attempts but made 18 of 22 tries from the free throw line to help secure the crucial victory.
Christensen registered a double-double for Warner Pacific, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Nichole Jackson added 11 points and six assists.
Corban was led by Emily Tsugawa with 14 points and six assists, while Tara Van Weerdhuizen had a game high 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Seniors Kelsey Mattsen, Lisa Terry, Katie Smith, Layne Tucker, Alma Silva-Ramirez, and Cameryn Calhoun all played their final regular season home games at Warner Pacific.