NEWBERG, Ore. – For the first time as a receiving-votes (RV) program this season following the NAIA’s most recent coaches’ top 25 poll, the Corban University Women’s Basketball program remained unbeaten on the year following a 75-72 road victory at NCAA DIII George Fox University earlier this evening. The Warriors utilized timely offensive possessions and converted their free throw attempts down the stretch despite a passionate comeback attempt by the Bruins on their home court, with their final three-point heave to send the contest to overtime falling just short.
“I’m really happy with how we were able to handle some adversity and pick up some much needed runs as this game progressed,” began Warriors’ head coach Kylie Frizell. “Overall, we need to grow in our defensive efforts for an entire forty minutes, but we made some really big defensive stops in spite of not shooting the ball super well behind the arc. We found a way to win against a really tough opponent in George Fox, who I have a lot of respect for, and we’re looking forward to getting back on the court on Saturday against Western Oregon.”
In a contest that featured eight lead changes and ten ties, the Warriors (4-0) battled their way into a one-point halftime lead after exchanging runs throughout the first two quarters, with the Bruins (0-1) having an answer for every Corban rally to stay within striking distance. The Navy and Gold led by as many as 12 points midway through the third quarter, but George Fox continually dug deep and kept the margin razor thin in what represented both their season and home opener.
Despite never trailing in the fourth quarter, the Warriors relied heavily on the free throw line and redshirt senior guard Tori Younker to keep themselves in the driver’s seat of tonight’s contest, as they went a combined 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in the fourth while Younker drained a pair of three-pointers and scored a fastbreak layup on three-consecutive possessions to turn a 54-all tie into a 67-60 lead for the Warriors. A plethora of three-point attempts late by GFU resulted in two finding the bottom of the netting, but the final attempt was errant and provided Corban with their fourth-straight win to start the second season under the direction of Coach Frizell.
Graduate student center Emilia Bishop continues to have an incredible start to the 2025-26 campaign for the Navy and Gold, as she recorded a game-high 25-point and 10-rebound double-double while converting on over half of her field goal attempts in total. Redshirt sophomore guard Jersey Huerta tallied 19 points and added five boards, while redshirt junior guard Jenna Albrecht scored 12 points with five rebounds along the way. The all-around performance of the night goes to Younker who did a little bit of everything tonight for the Warriors with nine points, six rebounds, six assists, and a pair of steals.
The Bruins had three student-athletes score at least 16 points tonight, with guards Mia Skoro and Tara Ushiro each scoring a team-best 17 points while guard Hanne Hopkins pitched in 16 points. Hopkins ended the matchup three rebounds and one assist shy of a triple-double while also securing a steal and a blocked shot.
Corban women’s basketball will enjoy an off day before traveling across the Willamette River to face NCAA DII Western Oregon University (0-0) in what will also represent the Wolves’ first counting contest of the new season.
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