SALEM, Ore. – The 2025-26 regular season began on an absolute high note for the Corban University Women's Basketball program, as the Warriors hosted day one of the 2025 Hampton Inn Classic, presented by Hampton Inn & Suites, and sprinted to the finish line of an 80-63 victory over Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University out of Prescott, Arizona. Junior guard Tayla Yost scored on the opening possession for the Warriors and behind standout performances from a pair of transfer upperclassmen, the Navy and Gold never trailed in their double-digit win over the Eagles.
"I'm proud of our effort tonight to start off the season," explained Warriors' head coach Kylie Frizell shortly after their season-opening victory. "We didn't shoot the ball particularly and still found ways to score. Our defense was solid for the most part to allow us to play in transition. Kylie was the perfect spark we needed in the second half to keep us rolling offensively."
Following Yost's midrange jumper to kick the Corban women's basketball (1-0) season opener off with a scoring play on their first opportunity against the Eagles (0-2), the Navy and Gold offense settled in to outscore ERAU 24-14 in the opening quarter, which eventually led to a 15-point halftime lead following back-to-back offensively successful quarters.
However, Embry-Riddle utilized some scoring droughts from the Warriors to their advantage in the third and fourth quarters, yet sophomore guard Kylie Ihrig hopped off the bench and provided Coach Frizell and Warrior Nation with a career-high 12 points after splashing 4-of-5 three-point attempts that all swung momentum back in Corban's favor. Ihrig needed only 16 minutes off the bench to set her new career-high scoring mark and was fourth highest scorer on the court for either team this evening.
In their first appearances in the navy and gold threads, redshirt sophomore guard Jersey Huerta and graduate student center Emilia Bishop filled up the stat sheet with 16 points and six rebounds apiece, while Huerta added a trio of steals and Bishop a pair of blocks defensively. Yost finished with ten points and four rebounds, while Ihrig was the highest scoring player off the bench with her 12 points. As a team, Corban shot 46.9% from the field and hit 11-of-12 free throw attempts all while holding the Eagles to under 37% on the evening.
Embry-Riddle was led offensively by guard Abby Dean and her team-high 14 points, with guard Nicole Evenson pitching in nine points off the bench. Forward Riley Morris-Rexford hauled in a game-high nine boards in the post for ERAU as well.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Warriors will host day two of the Hampton Inn Classic, where they're scheduled to host No. 18-ranked Arizona Christian University (0-1) at 3pm on Tim Hills Court.
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