Katherine Salness scored in double figures for the first time this season, as Corban defeated Evergreen in a hard-fought conference battle Friday in Oregon's Capital City.
Trio of Warriors Help Lead Corban Past Geoducks of Evergreen
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Three Warriors scored in double figures led by Tara Vanweerdhuizen's game-high tying 16 points, as Corban University extended its season-opening Cascade Collegiate Conference winning streak to two games with a 66-63 victory over The Evergreen State College Friday inside the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
Corban (6-7, 2-0 CCC) would also get double-digit scoring efforts from Julia Young and Katherine Salness, as the pair provided 13 and 10 points, respectively. On the boards, Vanweerdhuizen pulled down a team-high six rebounds to go along with an eight-point, five-rebound, and five-assist night by Megan Benedict. Vanweerdhuizen would control the defensive end for the Warriors, as she registered a game-high four blocked shots to bring her career-record total to 253 in 75 games donning the navy and gold.
Evergreen (4-6, 0-3 CCC) was led offensively by four players – Brittany Gray, Jessica Denmon, Sammi Clark, and Sadee Jones – in double figures, as the quarter provided 16, 16, 15, and 12 points, respectively, to make up 93.7% of the Geoducks' scoring on the night. On the boards, Gray grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to go along with a team-best four assists by Uriah Thomas off Evergreen's bench.
Playing without the services of starting point guard Jade Lowery due to a knee injury, Corban fell victim to 23 turnovers only to overcame those miscues by shooting 60.0% (12-of-20) from the field in the second half that included a 5-for-8 (62.5%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line.
The first half began with Corban building an 11-point lead (20-9) at the first media timeout before the Warriors extended that lead to 12 points (21-9) on a free throw by Salness with 10:35 on the clock. Over the next eight minutes, Evergreen used a 20-6 run to take a three-point lead (29-26) on a jumper in the paint by Clark with 2:34 left. Over the final two-plus minutes, Corban used a 7-0 run that resulted in a four-point lead (33-29) at halftime following a pair of free throws by the Warriors’ Danielle Vanderstoel for the final points of the first half.
Corban opened the second half by extending its lead to six points (40-34) on a three-pointer by Sadie Pilgeram with 16:19 on the clock. Over the next two minutes, Evergreen used a 9-3 run to erase the Warriors' lead tying the game for the fifth time at 43-43 on a jumper by Jones at the 13:58 mark. On two separate occasions, Corban would push its lead back to four points with the final one coming at 51-47 on a jumper by Benedict at the 8:58 mark. Evergreen would fight back to earn a one-point lead (56-55) with a 9-4 run before the host Warriors used an 8-0 run that resulted in a six-point cushion (62-56) on a lay-in by Vanweerdhuizen with 3:51 left. Corban would continue to hold the lead, as Evergreen pulled within a single point (64-63) after a lay-in by Jones with 1:25 remaining. A lay-in by Vanweerdhuizen with 9.6 seconds left in the game would extended the Warriors' lead to 66-63, as Evergreen attempted a last-second three-pointer only to have the ball go out-of-bounds as the buzzer sounded resulting in the win for Corban.
As a team, Corban combined to shoot 22-for-42 (52.4%) from the field that included a 7-for-14 (50.0%) performance from beyond the three-point line and a 15-for-20 (75.0%) showing at the free throw line. On the other hand, Evergreen was a combined 24-for-70 (34.3%) from the field, 4-for-15 (26.7%) from long distance, and 11-of-16 (68.8%) at the charity stripe.
Both teams return to action tomorrow – Saturday, December 21st – when Corban hosts Northwest in Salem and Evergreen travels to Eugene to take on Northwest Christian. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at both venues.