LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 13 EOU women’s basketball team used a huge second half to slip past Corban, 76-66 as the Blue and Gold moved on to the semifinals of the 2016-17 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank.
Four Mountaineers scored in double figures as the squad was led by junior guard Maya Ah You (Dias) who tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Middleton, Idaho native nabbed her first career double-double.
Senior guard Ashley Knight put up 14 points while grabbing eight boards and tossing an assist. Next was junior guard Payton Parrish who chalked up 11 points, going 3-for-5 from behind the arc. The final double-digit Mountie was junior forward Mariah Swanson who added 10 more points.
As a team EOU put up 27 points off the bench, while adding 42 more inside the paint. As a team the Mountaineers outshot Corban, shooting 46.7 percent compared to the Warriors 39.3 percent. Corban outshot EOU from behind the arc, shooting 31.8 percent compared to EOU’s 26.3 percent.
In the first quarter, the Mounties quickly jumped out on an 8-2 run, capped off by a jumper from junior forward Stormee Van Belle. However, by the 1:40 mark of the first the Warriors had the lead down to four, 12-8.
Ah You quickly saved the day for EOU, connecting on a huge trey(15-8). Over the last 30 seconds the Warriors hit a deep three only to be followed by a Parrish three-ball. A buzzer beating two from Corban’s Maci Benedict drew the Warriors within four once again, 18-14.
Corban continued its run into the second period, finishing the 10 point swing with a jumper. The Warriors now led, 21-18. Over the next four minutes Corban and EOU barraged each other with shots, each answering each other. A lay-in from Darian Gasseling ended a 6-2 run for EOU (24-23).
The Mountaineers held Corban scoreless for the last three minutes of the period. Knight added four more for EOU as they took the lead into the locker room, 28-25.
Into the third the Warriors ended a 14-6 run with a pair of shots from the charity stripe, retaking the lead 39-34. A jumper from Knight once again ended a 6-0 run for the Blue and Gold as EOU retook the lead 40-39 with just less than five minutes until the fourth.
EOU finished the last four and a half minutes of the third on a 13-6 run, capped off by a three from Ah You. Mounties now led by eight, 53-45.
A jumper from Swanson put EOU up double digits, 55-45 early in the fourth. By the five minute mark the Mountie lead had been extended to 16 points, 66-50. Corban would pull as close as 10 points but the big third and fourth period for EOU was just too much.
BY THE NUMBERS
42 – Points in the paint for EOU.
71 – Total rebounds between EOU and Corban.
395 – Combined points this season for Ah You.
UP NEXT
EOU hosts Oregon Tech in the semifinals of the CCC tournament on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. To follow live stats/video,
click here.