Jade Lowery scored 17 points for Corban in the loss. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University women's basketball team had won nine of its past 11 games overall, but The Evergreen State College came into the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center on Saturday evening and shut the Warriors down, winning the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) battle, 59-49. The win gives the Geoducks the season sweep over Corban.
On the evening, the Geoducks shot 50% overall as a team from the field while holding the Warriors to a 26.9% shooting mark. The Warriors kept the fast pace that they wanted all game long, forcing Evergreen into 22 turnovers while only committing four turnovers themselves, but ultimately the shots did not fall, resulting in the 10-point defeat for Corban.
A big key in the triumph for Evergreen was the rebounding battle, as the Geoducks dominated inside with a 51-27 advantage on the boards. Another key to the game for the Geoducks was their points in the paint, owning the advantage in the category, 32-24.
Evergreen showed consistency on the night, scoring at least 13 points in each quarter, with its largest output coming in the fourth stanza when it scored 17 points. In that same quarter, Corban struggled to find its rhythm and only score nine points, meaning the comeback would fall short.
Leading the way offensively for the Geoducks (4-18, 4-3 CCC) was Autumn Moorcroft with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, while Gabi Fenumiai chipped in 14 points and 10 boards.
For Corban, senior guard Jade Lowery (Oregon City, Ore.) scored 18 points on 8-for-19 shooting with four boards, while fellow senior guard Julia Young (Snohomish, Wash.) notched a 13-point performance with three rebounds and one steal. Additionally, junior forward Payton Wilcox (Salem, Ore.) scored in double-figures with 10 points.
"We found out tonight you can do a number of good things, but if they shoot a high percentage and we don't, it can end up like it did tonight," said Corban head coach Dave Bale. "We only turned it over four times, forced 22 Evergreen turnovers, and kept the pace up like we wanted. We will bounce back and be ready for this coming week's games."
Corban (14-11, 9-7 CCC) returns to action when it travels to take on Warner Pacific College on the road on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.