GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Corban University Women’s Basketball team (2-3, 0-0) was unable to shake a cold performance from the field this evening, falling on the road to Arizona Christian University (1-2, 0-0) on the Firestorm’s home court.
“We did a lot of good things as a team tonight, but unfortunately we just couldn’t get shots to fall, especially in the second half,” Corban Head Coach Bill Pilgeram said earlier this evening.
“We didn’t turn the ball over very much and our shot selection was good, so we just need to continue to believe in our group and move forward into conference action,” Pilgeram elaborated.
The Warriors jumped out of the gate with a three-pointer from junior guard Maddie Godwin, but both ACU and Corban began to fall cold from the field, as the two teams combined for just 24 points in the first nine minutes of the first quarter. In the final minute, both teams spread the ball across the floor significantly better, with the Warriors scoring seven points on three-straight possessions, leading 19-14 at the first pause of gameplay.
Arizona Christian began to find their footing in the second quarter, with the Firestorm battling back to lead by two at the halftime break. They outscored the Navy and Gold by seven in the quarter, almost holding the Warriors to under double-digit points in the process.
The turnover and rebounding margins were both near even at the break, with the only difference maker in this contest being the field goals, which continued into the third quarter. The Warriors were shooting just 25.5% through the third quarter, with their deficit growing to seven-points with 10 minutes of play remaining.
The ACU physicality continued to cause issues for Corban, as their willingness to try to force turnovers resulted in opportunities for the Firestorm and throwing wrenches in the Warriors’ offensive gameplan. Arizona Christian’s lead grew to double-digits with under four minutes to play, as Corban needed to find an answer fast to cut into their 11-point shortfall.
In the end, Corban’s shots just wouldn’t fall, with the hometown team taking the game 54-45. This marks the Firestorm’s first victory of the 2022-23 season, taking down the Warriors on their home floor.
ACU’s entire gameplan was entirely focused on forcing the Warriors to make their perimeter shots, as their zone defense was built around protecting the key and allowing their opponent to take open three-point attempts. Unfortunate for Corban, their three-point shooting just wasn’t on today, as they converted on just 4-of-38 attempts from beyond the arc to shoot 10.5%.
Warriors’ senior forward Holly Golenor was able to score 14 points to be the only Corban player in double-digits, adding seven rebounds in the process and shooting 7-for-8 from the field. Redshirt freshman guard Izzy Boring provided eight points and six boards in a consistent effort from the Spokane native.
Firestorm’ guard Alyssa Alvarez tallied a game-high 19 points coming off the bench for ACU, while securing seven rebounds for the most impressive performance of the evening. Guard Lauren Gunn pitched in 16 points and six boards. Arizona Christian made the most of their free throw attempts, converting on eight of their twelve attempts, double the amount of shots from the charity stripe that Corban was granted.
Corban Women’s Basketball will begin Cascade Collegiate Conference play a week from tomorrow, November 22nd, as the Warriors travel to Bushnell University for a midweek rivalry contest with the Beacons, which is slated for a 5:30pm PST start time.
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